


Underneath It All

by abrokefangirl



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Gangs, No hate only love, Romance, southside serpents, yes I went there
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2018-10-30 07:07:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 32,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10871625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abrokefangirl/pseuds/abrokefangirl
Summary: The summer of Jason Blossom’s death was an eventful one. Of course, that goes without saying. But there was another story, one yet untold, one that I didn’t know until it was much too late.Mila Gallagher was a girl of sixteen when she arrived in Riverdale for the summer. I wouldn’t know her until much later. But this is not about me, this is about her. And what she did that summer. What comes after…well, you’ll just have to wait and see.JJ





	1. The Move

**Author's Note:**

> So the plan is for this story to be in two parts. The first is the summer of Jason's death, though that won't be the main focus. And the second part will be when the school year starts. 
> 
> FP is obviously the most daddy, I really couldn't help myself, but inspiration struck. I think I am the first one to stoop to this level, so this is history in the making. I don't mind constructive criticism, but please don't be a meanie because I am a simple fragile human being. Bless to all, and I hope you enjoy xx
> 
> Oh and I didn't edit this because I was so excited to post, so just let me know if I made an error :)

The summer of Jason Blossom’s death was an eventful one. Of course, that goes without saying. But there was another story, one yet untold, one that I didn’t know until it was much too late. 

Mila Gallagher was a girl of sixteen when she arrived in Riverdale for the summer. I wouldn’t know her until much later. But this is not about me, this is about her. And what she did that summer. What comes after…well, you’ll just have to wait and see.

JJ

~~~~~~~~

The prospect of spending her summer in Riverdale wasn’t very exciting. She knew she would have to come here eventually, to start at her new school. Her dad had told her that coming early would let her ‘make new friends’ before school started. In reality he had probably just wanted to send her off before she could get into any more trouble. Her father was a sensible man, a man whom she loved very much. But he just didn’t understand that teenage girls… weren’t sensible. Better to have her out of his hair. 

She stood in front of the door to the house she would be staying in. To be honest it was kind of a relief, her duffel bag had been killing her arm for the last hour. It was a nice house, she couldn’t help but notice. Very suburban. Very Riverdale. But the house was unlike its owner in that regard, and the interior looked very different to the exterior. 

She didn’t knock, she didn’t need to. She knew for a fact the owner would want her to make herself at home.  
“Hello?” she called out as she stepped in. Dropping her bag, she started walking down the hall. It was clear and unblocked, no doubt to balance the feng shui of the house- the owner was really into that sort of thing. She could hear talking further down the hall and into another room, grinning she followed the noise.  
Her grin fell, however, when she was met with the sight of an elderly lady painting a very naked male model. 

She covered her eyes, “Grandma come on man!”  
She heard her grandmother chuckle, and peeked through her fingers to see her smiling. She sighed and laughed as she uncovered her eyes. 

Mila shook her head, “You are a dirty old lady.”

Her grandmother’s eyes were bright as she stood up and reached out to hug her.  
“Oh my sweet child, we are all children of Mother Nature. She is showing us her gifts. And you young lady, are a most treasured one.” Her grandmother squeezed her tight, and Mila closed her eyes leaning into the hug.

They broke apart still holding each others arms, “It’s good to see you Grandma.”

Her grandmother laughed, “And you my angel,” she brushed Mila’s hair back, “You grow more beautiful each day, just look at you.”

Her grandmother had not aged a day since she last saw her. Which was, three years ago now that she thought about it. Her father was not the biggest fan of her mother’s mother, but when he had asked which grandparent she wanted to live with she hadn’t hesitated in picking Grandma Sheila. He hadn’t objected, he was the one sending her away after all, but a part of her thought it hurt him to see Sheila, like Mila, she looked a little too much like her mother. 

Mila hugged her again, before noticing her grandmother’s guest, “Uh Grandma, he’s still naked.”

Her grandmother chuckled again as she pulled away for good this time, “Fun’s over Julian, I’m going to spend some time with my granddaughter.”  
~~~~

After Julian left, Sheila had made them some tea, sat them on the couch, and wrapped them both under a blanket. 

“Your father must be at the end of his rope to agree to send you to me.”

Mila sipped her tea, “He’s got all these new contracts, he’s stressed about work and he’s going to have to travel a lot, “ she shrugged, “It makes sense I guess.”

Her grandmother’s eyes softened, “Are you ok my pet?”

Mila did not want to talk about it. “I’m fine Grandma,” she smiled. “So Julian huh? Was Ricardo getting a little too much for you?”

Sheila laughed, “Ricardo wanted me to be a one male model kind of woman, and you know me Angel, I can’t help it when inspiration strikes. Julian is my muse, what can I say?”

“Your muse? Careful now, thats quite a commitment, you’re going to have to sew your wild oats.”

“Hush now, stop sassing your Grandma. Julian is happy to let me paint other models.”

“His manhood was a certainty happy, if you know what I mean.”

Her grandmother giggled, “You are not my Angel. You are a devil child, away with you!”

Mila watched her, in awe of how youthful she was, even approaching her mid-seventies. She always wondered if her mother had been the same. To this day, her grandmother carefully did her hair and makeup, wore beautiful clothes, and swore like a trooper while doing it.

“How’s the salon going?” Mila asked. 

“Business as usual. Which reminds me, I’ve got a few appointments this afternoon. Did you want to come in with me?”

This was probably the most exciting offer she was going to get, not just today, but for the whole summer. Riverdale was so different to New York, it didn't seem like there was going to be a lot to do here. But Mila was not one to stay in the house.

“Sure Grandma, I’ll come.” 

~~~~

Anyone who was anyone in Riverdale knew to come to Sheila’s salon to get their hair done. People went to eat at Pop’s, people did their hair at Sheila’s, that was just the way things were. What most people chose to ignore, was that Sheila’s was also a tattoo parlour after hours. At five o’clock the suburban mother’s went home to their families, while the troubled souls and drunk youths came in to get a tattoo. She knew her grandmother much preferred the tattoo side of things, but there was just not enough people in Riverdale who got tattoos to keep the place running. Hence, the salon. If Sheila hadn’t been the best hairdresser in town, she suspected the after hours business would not be so overlooked by the PTA mums and dads. But she was the best, so they did what any fully functioning family would do: they ignored it.

 

Mila had spent the afternoon at the salon pouring over the portfolio of all the tattoos her grandmother had done. She did it out the back, as not to shock the customers who were being served. While it had been fascinating for the first hour or so, she had soon become agitated and needed something a little more constructive to do. So she’d pulled out her grandmother’s sketch book, and begun to design some tattoos of her own. Her grandmother had checked in on her a couple of times, and was delighted to see she was drawing. She was always telling Mila to be more creative, and that artistic outlets were healthy for a young woman. Mila chuckled at her grandmother’s words, and kept drawing anyway, being pulled into the work and losing track of time. She certainly wasn’t the artist her grandmother was, but she was coming out with a couple of things she liked. 

She glanced at the clock, and it hit her just how long she had been sitting there. It was almost six. She went out to the salon floor, and saw her grandmother going through the earnings of the day. 

She winced, “Sorry I wasn’t much help there.”

“Nonsense Angel, you were channeling your energy, I would not think to interrupt.”

She walked over and pat her grandmother’s head, “You’re a silly old coot, do you know that?”

“And you may do well to pick up a broom.”

Mila laughed and did what she was told. She began sweeping the floor, which was covered in hair of all different colours. Obviously her grandmother had had more than just a few appointments.

“Hey Grandma, do you think the PTA mums would be shocked if we invited Julian over for a private screening?” she pondered it, “Or maybe they’d enjoy it?”

“Who’s Julian?” a young male voice spoke, making Mila jump.

“Naked!” The guy blinked at her. 

“Uh Julian is naked. A male model! Julian is a male model.” 

The way this guy looked, he could honestly be a male model too. Mila sighed, figuring this was another of her grandmother’s subjects.

“Look, just… wait for Grandma before you take your clothes off. If the PTA mother’s catch me with a naked guy they might try to expel me before school even starts.”

He looked confused, but smirked anyway, “You’re not really my type.”

“Well I suppose I’m not. You’re into the older chica's right?”

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

“What are you talking about? You’re modelling nude for my Grandma right?”

He sputtered, before following up with a laugh, “No, I’m here to get a tattoo.”

“Oh. Customer. Right. Sorry man.” It was then she realised her grandmother was still in the room the whole time when she heard her snickering.

She turned to face her, “You couldn’t have said anything?”

“You seemed to be coping. Hi Joaquin,” Sheila winked.

“Hey Sheila,” he replied, “Who’s the maid?”

“The maid is Mila,” Mila cut in, “And she’s the granddaughter to Jerry Seinfeld over there.”

“Has her own tv show?”

She shook her head, “Who thinks she’s funny.”

Joaquin laughed, “Well she must take after her granddaughter.”

“Well hey, if you think the idea of you being a male model is funny, then you’re hurting yourself more than me,” she laughed.

“Maybe you could invite Julian over here too give me a few tips,” Joaquin said.

“Ah, so thats what you meant when you said I’m not your type.”

“Not even a little bit.”

“It’s a shame Joaquin, my granddaughter could use a man like you,” Sheila said.

Mila ignored her, “I think I’m going to like you Joaquin the not male model.”

Joaquin smiled, “And I you granddaughter of Jerry.”

For all his bravado, Mila could tell he was shyer than he was letting on. But he was nice, if not ridiculously good looking, and hey, her dad wanted her to make friends didn’t he?

“So a tattoo huh? Got any under that leather jacket?”

He nodded, “All approved and inked by Sheila.”

Mila turned to her grandmother, “Shall we head in the back.”

“Of course. Come on Joaquin, its been too long since my last job.”

Mila put the broom away while Joaquin followed her grandmother. When she went to follow suit, she saw the back of his jacket. Southside Serpents? What the hell is a Southside Serpent? she thought.

When they were out the back Sheila took a seat in her chair, and Joaquin went to look at the tattoo book.

Mila stood next to him, “Have you decided what you want?” She was genuinely curious what a guy like Joaquin would get tattooed on his body. 

He flicked through the book, “Something I don’t already have.”

Mila scoffed, “Smart ass.”

“Is that anyway to treat a paying customer?” he laughed, but stopped when he noticed the open sketch book the Mila hadn't put away.

“Have you been working on some new stuff Sheila?” he grabbed the book before Mila could stop him.

She held her breath as he turned through a couple of pages, “These are good. Really good.”  
Sheila beamed at the two of them, “They’re Mila’s.”

Joaquin turned to Mila looking surprised, “You do good work.”

“Hey I’m no Sheila,” she said, but she was pleased he liked it.

He’s eyes grew wide as they set on one of the drawings, “That one.”

Mila sputtered, “Hang on, you want to get something I drew permanently on your body? I’m sorry, but I can’t take that kind of chance. I don’t have good insurance.”

“What? It’s perfect. Sheila have you seen these?”

Her grandmother stood, “Not yet,” she took a look at the one Joaquin showed her, “Oh Mila I knew this day would come. You’ve been practicing haven't you? I knew you would take after you’re Grandma eventually.”

“Grandma come on! You can’t put this on his beautiful body.”

“She can, and she will,“ Joaquin said.

Mila sighed, “Its your funeral.”

“Which I can pay for with your insurance,” he answered.

As Joaquin and her grandmother went to sit down and get started, Mila glanced at the sketch he had looked at. She’d drawn a few in the hours she had been here, and she realised he had picked her favourite. He wanted her sketch of a snake.

~~~~~

They’d been in there for a few hours, and her Grandma had done the outline of the snake. As it was getting tattooed on Joaquin’s upper arm, Mila had noticed it was more intricate then she realised. She had spent the longest on that drawing, but it was really something else to see it tattooed on someone’s body.

“Thats it for today Joaquin,” Sheila said, “Come back in a few days and I’ll colour it for you.”

Joaquin looked at the tattoo,”I love it,” he moved his arm to show Mila, “That’s your work.”

Mila laughed, “I can’t believe you got that tattooed on you.”

“Believe it,” he gave her a grin.

“Hang on kids, I’ll be right back,” Sheila said, “I’ve got to finish up in the shop.” 

“Do you need help Grandma?”

“No, sit. Stay. Joaquin will be a good influence on you.”

“What kind of girl is she that a guy like me will be a good influence?” Joaquin asked.

Sheila just laughed as she left the room.

Mila hadn’t stopped staring at Joaquin’s tattoo, “Do you mind if I-?”

“No, go ahead,” he said, and she moved forward and sat in the chair her grandmother had been in. She lifted her finger and tentatively trailed her finger around his upper arm, tracing the edge but being careful not to touch the tattoo. 

“This is officially the furthest I’ve ever gotten with a girl.”

Mila laughed and smacked his other arm, “I guess I should count myself lucky.”

“You are really just like your grandmother,” he shook his head, “Why haven't I seen you around here before?”

“I just moved in with Sheila.”

“To live in Riverdale?”

“Yeah… it uh, wasn’t exactly my choice.”

Joaquin looked like he knew that feeling, “Where you from?”

“New York.”

“Ah a city girl, I should have known. You don’t seem like the small town type.”

She laughed, “That’s exactly what I’m not.”

“So, you hate it here?”

“Its too early to tell. I willing to give Riverdale a chance, if she plays nice, I’ll play nice. Who knows, maybe a small town will be good for me.”

Joaquin looked like he wanted to ask more, but smiled, “Maybe it will.”

She smiled back, “Here’s hoping.”


	2. The Salon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a shortie, but the next chapter will be more eventful. Enjoy x

The next few days were much of the same, she would go to her grandmother’s salon, and actually help out those times. She would clean, serve customers, promise multiple times that she wouldn’t touch the scissors. Not even if the mothers’ of Riverdale really deserved it. It was pretty much what she had been expecting her summer to be like. 

She was sitting at the register counter, reading a book. She didn’t even really know what it was about, she’d just picked it up and started flicking through. A young girl came in, ringing the bell on top of the door that alerted her when someone entered the salon. Mila looked up and was surprised to see someone so young. Sure kids came in with their parents, but there were a lot more middle-aged people than teenagers.

“Hey, welcome to Sheila’s,” she said, putting her book down. She must have said that about 100 times in the past few days, but it was said more excitedly this time, at the prospect of someone different.

The girl walked up to the counter, “Hi my name is Polly Cooper, I’ve got an appointment.”

Mila looked down at the appointment book, “Yep, you sure do. One perm coming right up.”

Polly look alarmed, “Oh thats not what I-“

Mila almost felt guilty, “I’m sorry, bad joke.”

“Oh,” Polly laughed, “That was funny.”

Mila couldn’t help but smile at how nice Polly was, she gave a small laugh and stood up.

“Come on, I’ll wait with you in a chair,” she said, and Polly followed her to a table. 

They both sat down, Polly in front of the mirror, and Mila in a chair next to her. Honestly Mila didn’t need to, but she was just so grateful to see someone her own age that she felt like keeping her company. The salon was pretty full. Sheila had two other hairdressers working for her and they were all busy with other clients. Mila hoped Polly wouldn’t have to wait too long, but was happy it gave her a chance to talk to her. 

“So Polly, why is it so busy today? Any special town events coming up?”

“Well, some of the Blossoms are visiting Riverdale for the weekend. Most people want to look nice when they arrive.”

“Who are the Blossoms?”

Polly raised her eyebrows, “You don’t know the Blossoms? I thought everyone did.”

“Oh, well, I’m new.” Mila didn’t understand what the big deal was, but she was guessing this was one of those small town things that she wasn’t likely to understand.

“That’s exciting! People hardly ever move here. Are you going to start school?”

Mila smiled, thinking that maybe Polly would be in Riverdale too. She seemed really nice, and the more she thought about it, the more she figured having a friend for the first day would help.

“Yeah actually, I’m going to be a junior.”

“My sister’s going to be a junior, I’ll tell her to look out for you.”

Right, sister, Mila thought, still if she’s anything like Polly… “Sure, that would be nice.”

“I didn’t catch your name,” Polly smiled.

“It’s Mila.”

“Well Mila, the Blossoms are the most influential family in town. They own the syrup farms.” Polly said it with such awe that Mile figured there was a little more to it than that. 

“The syrup farms huh? Better not get on their bad side,” she joked.

Polly’s eyes were wide, “You shouldn’t no. You should be careful.”

Mila was taken aback, “Don’t worry, I’m not planning on staging a coup or anything.”

Polly relaxed, “That’s good.”

Mila figured she had better change the subject, “Why are you doing your hair? You also want to get on their good side?”

Polly smiled, “Something like that.”

Mila leaned forward, “I’m intrigued. Tell me more.”

Mila noticed how Polly’s face brightened. 

“Well my boyfr- that is, my friend is a Blossom. And I just thought that it would be nice to try to make a good impression for his family.”

Mila grinned, “I should have known there was a boy involved. You’re a sneaky girl Polly.”

“But you can’t tell anyone!” she exclaimed.

Mila shrugged her shoulders, “Who would I tell?”

Polly smiled warmly at her, “Thank you, Mila. You’re very kind.”

“And you are probably the first person to say that,” she hopped out of her chair and began playing with Polly’s hair, “So, what were we thinking?”

~~~~~

Polly’s appointment was the only thing interesting to happen that day. That is until Joaquin stepped through the doors again after they had closed up. He was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt so Mila could see the tattoo, and it was looking pretty good. He smiled at her as he walked in, looking excited to see her. 

“Hey man, how are you?” she greeted.

“I’m good. How’s life as a hairdresser?” he asked.

“Did you know that Mary O’Donnell is sleeping with Joy Declan’s husband? Mary doesn’t think Joy knows, but boy is she wrong. This place is like a soap opera. It’s the Housewives’ of Riverdale.”

“You need to get out of this salon,” he said.

“I really really do,” she pleaded, “Surely there is something for a underage reformed bad-girl to do in this town.”

“There might be, but your Grandma would kill me if I took you there.”

“Sounds perfect. When do we leave?”

He sighed humorously, “I shouldn’t have said anything. But I will offer you a compromise. Pop’s tomorrow night.”

“A diner? On a Friday night? I mean I guess so, but its cruel to dangle the dream and then take it away.”

He laughed, “You’ll have a good time I promise.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

 

~~~~~

 

The Whyte Wyrm was busy. In fact it was busy most nights. The Southside Serpents practically owned the place, and those that had families weren’t exactly expected home by them. 

Joaquin was happy to be warm again once he entered. He had been walking back from Sheila’s without his jacket on, he couldn’t stand it rubbing against his tattoo. He walked straight to the bar, knowing that was where he would find FP. He was right of course. FP had a job tomorrow, and he always had a drink the night before. It was a ritual of sorts. 

Joaquin slid into the stool next to him, “You ready for tomorrow?”

FP barely gave him a glance, “Nice ink.”

“FP come on.”

“Kid it’s a small job, I’ll be fine,” FP took a swig of his drink.

“Are you sure? Cause I can cancel my plan-” Joaquin started.

“What plans?” FP interjected. He was confused, Joaquin didn’t usually make plans outside the Serpents. Or without asking him first. 

“Well I guess you could call it a date,” Joaquin said. 

FP turned to face him, “With that Keller kid you’re always making eyes at? You know you should get the jump on that, that could be useful.”

Joaquin wished he could jump on that, but Keller made him too nervous. Plus he didn’t want to pull the guy into his messy life. 

“No, its with a girl.” He waited for the jibing to begin.

“A girl?” FP laughed, “Is there something you need to tell me?”

“No,” Joaquin said, “She’s new in town. I’m showing her around.”

FP raised an eyebrow, “Why? You trying to bag a new customer?”

“It’s not like that. She’s funny, a nice girl.” 

“Right,” FP began to stand, “Who knew you could be so saintly?”

Before FP had walked away Joaquin called out to him, “Just be careful.”

Joaquin couldn’t see for himself, but he imagined FP had probably rolled his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't actually know if they're juniors in high school. I wanted to make them 16/17 and I think that means they would be juniors.. but what do I know, I'm not american :)


	3. The Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am procrastination trash, so honestly it is a wonder that i wrote this chapter so quickly!

Pop’s was nicer than she had expected, she could see why people went there. She and Joaquin had been sitting in a booth, eating and talking for the past hour. Turns out the food was delicious, and Mila was wasting no time pounding into her burger.

Joaquin was watching her with amused eyes, “Hungry?”

Mila’s mouth was full as she spoke, “You bet! I mean I love Grandma and all, but she cannot cook to save her life.” “Or mine,” she added as she took another bite.

“So you really haven’t met anyone else?” Joaquin asked, continuing their conversation from earlier.

“Nope. Well, actually I met this girl Polly at Sheila’s yesterday. She seemed really nice.”

“Polly? Yeah I know the Coopers.”

Mila laughed, “Well I kind of assumed everybody knew everybody in this town.”

Joaquin smiled, “You could say that. But honestly I’m surprised, most parents force their kids to introduce themselves to new people in town.”

“Everyone’s busy for the summer I guess,” Mila said offhandedly, “I prefer it this way, the whole incognito thing. Being the centre of attention isn’t all its cracked up to be.”

“Just you wait. When school starts, everybody and their grandfather will be talking about you. The cool mysterious girl from New York.”

“Mysterious,” Mila scoffed, “I’m an open book.”

Joaquin just looked at her until she felt the need to speak again, “What? I am!”

“Ok then, question time. Why did you move to RIverdale?”

“Because my dad wanted me to live with Sheila.”

“Why?”

Mila hesitated, “Because he thought I was in trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?” 

“You know… trouble.”

“See,” Joaquin laughed, “Cool and mysterious! Seriously though, what kind of trouble can a nice girl like you get into?”

Mila laughed, “Dude I was a teenager living in New York, of course there was trouble. And my dad is a sensible guy, he does not understand teenage girls.”

“Trust me, trouble in a small town is worse.”

Mila rolled her eyes, “I don’t believe you. So you have small town gangs, so what?”  
Joaquin looked confused, “How do you-“

“You guys walk around wearing jackets with big snakes on them, it’s not that hard to piece together. Plus I saw that gang tattoo you had on your wrist. But still, you’re in it, so it must be pretty tame.”

Joaquin mocked hurt, “Ouch.”

“Whatever, snakes are usually more scared of you than you are of them,” she smirked. The two other ‘Southside Serpents’ she had seen around town were also Joaquin’s age. In her mind they were just a high school gang with too much time on their hands. Still, Joaquin obviously had sense, she couldn’t understand why he would be running around with them. 

“You obviously haven't heard much about us,” Joaquin said quietly. The way he said that made Mila hesitate, only for a second. But she figured he was trying to maintain his pride so she kept up the jibes. 

“What’s to hear?” Mila shrugged.

“Ouch again,” Joaquin laughed. It was probably best if she dismissed them. The less she knew the better, so he decided to change the subject.

“So,” he leaned forward, “Is that your grandmother’s real hair?”

 

~~~

 

It was another couple of hours before they decided to leave. Mila didn’t want to jinx it, but she thought she had found a real friend in Joaquin. They were kindred spirits, both trying to do the best they could in their situations. Even if they hadn’t talked specifics, Mila could tell he had a more difficult life than he let on. 

He liked her too. She was different. Bigger. Bigger than this town with its gossip and vapidness. She’d seen more of the world than Joaquin had, she talked about how she used to travel a lot with her dad because of his job. But like him, she had also been not completely honest. But they were happy to wait each other out, gain each others trust before they told all their secrets. Though it was early, both were in it for the long haul.

They said their goodbyes and Joaquin offered to walk Mila home, but she wanted to walk around town and explore. 

“I can come with you,” he offered once more. It was pretty dark.

“Stop being so saintly, I’ll be fine,” she laughed. He had definitely heard that somewhere before, and laughed quietly to himself as he left her. 

She watched him go and smiled to herself. Maybe this town wouldn’t be so bad. She started walking in a random direction. She didn’t know why she was so keen to wander around, but it was 10 o’clock on a Friday night and she was no where near tired. Also Joaquin still refused to take her to that place he had told her about, so she figured she was doomed to make her own fun. She’d have to ask her grandmother about it and the Southside Serpents when she got home.

She was deep in thought, thinking about her old life and what this new one was going to be like. She hadn’t realised she’d been walking in the same direction for at least 30 minutes, and for lack of a better word, she was lost.

She looked around, trying to recognise anything that might give her an idea of where she was. She only cursed herself now for not getting to know Riverdale better over the past week. Turning back around would probably be the safest option. It wasn’t completely deserted, there was a forest, but there was also the odd building.

Before she turned back, she heard voices further into the woodland. Unable to abide her curiosity- there really was nothing else to do in this town- she crept a bit closer to hear what they were saying. Probably some kids sneaking around together, or god forbid, Mary with Joy’s husband.

~~~~

FP currently wasn't the most sober he had ever been. He wasn’t drunk, but he wasn’t in the best shape to perform the job he had tonight. But it was too late now, he was here, and so was the guy he was selling to.

He didn’t love meeting in the woodlands, but he tried to keep these things outside the main area of town, plus he got to wear his jacket openly for the transaction. It was a little too suspicious if he wore it and met a total stranger when in RIverdale. 

He had spaced out, the guy was still talking to him, “You got all of it?”

“Yeah,” FP tried not to sigh, “It’s in the trunk of my car,” he said as he patted the hood he was leaning against. 

The guy was nervous, a bit of a rookie if FP was being honest. He was jumpy, which didn’t hold well for a peaceful exchange. FP knew he had a gun in his pocket, so he had to keep the guy as calm as possible. It was always the nervous ones you had to watch out for. 

FP made a move to the back of his car, but the guy sputtered, “Where’s your partner? You said you had a partner! You pulling funny business?”

FP cursed himself then. He had forgotten, in their correspondence, that he mentioned someone would be with him. Usually Joaquin, or one of the others accompanied him to this sort of thing. Hell, Joaquin had even offered to come, but he had been stupid enough and drunk enough to forget to ask him. With any other sale it probably wouldn’t matter, but this guy was scared and packing. He was never selling to a rookie again. 

FP outstretched his arms, “Look, its alright. Just calm down.”

“Where are they?” the guy insisted, lifting the gun higher with a shaking hand.

For a brief second, FP became scared. This stupid guy could actually shoot him. They both heard a rustle from behind FP. An animal? Please let it be an animal, FP thought. Because maybe the guy would try to shoot the animal instead of him, and then he would have time to wrestle the gun away.

But it was not an animal. FP hadn’t turned around yet, before he heard a voice say, “I’m right here.”

~~~~

It was times like this that Mila thought she deserved all that had happened to her. Once again she had managed to pull herself into the messiest situation possible. No wonder her dad had made her come to Riverdale, though if he saw her now, maybe he would have reconsidered.

The worst thing was Mila didn’t know why she had done it. She’d gotten close enough to hear their conversation. She could tell this wasn’t exactly your run of the mill exchange. She’d gotten so close in fact, that she had seen the back of the jacket the person facing away from her was wearing. It was exactly like Joaquin’s, so she figured he must be a friend of his. A friend of his that had a gun pointed to his chest… right. Mila knew right then exactly what was going down. She was more acquainted with drug deals than most people, she was from New York after all. She wasn’t about to let Joaquin’s, probably high school aged friend, die young over some small deal. What she didn’t realise was that it wasn’t exactly a ‘small deal’, and that she had just gotten in way over her head.

Still, she had stepped into the clearing and said, “I’m right here.”

The serpent didn’t turn around. It was smart, it made it seem like he was expecting her. 

The guy still held the gun up to the serpent as she stepped forward, “Where were you?” 

New York was the fine arts centre of the world. No one could fault her for having taken an improv class.

“Making sure you didn’t bring anyone,” she said cooly. She was trying to keep her voice even, to make it sound like she knew exactly what she was doing. 

The serpent’s arms relaxed a bit, she had obviously said the right thing. Even the gun lowered enough for her to feel some relief.

“Give me the stuff,” he said shakily.

Mila knew that wasn’t how things worked in these types of deals, “Money first.”

The guy lowered his gun even more, and took off the rucksack that had been on his back. He threw it at the serpent’s feet. 

“It’s there. All $20’000.”

It took all Mila had not to widen her eyes. $20’000! This was a bigger game than she had realised. Now she was worried. She glanced at the serpent, only to see a middle-aged man looking back at her. Shit, she thought, you have really done it this time Mila. 

The serpent nodded at her to check the money, playing along with her charade. She understood that much. She bent down and opened the rucksack. 

“Yep, that is- yep.” 20’000 dollars. Jesus. She took a deep breath, stood up and put the rucksack over her shoulder. 

She turned to the serpent, “You do the honours.” He nodded and walked over the the back of the car to take out the stash. She was happy he had understood her, she didn’t want the gun nut to realise she had no idea what she was giving him. Who knew how much could be in the back of that car? 

She maintained a confident posture as the serpent brought out his own rucksack and walked back up to the front of there car. 

“Here,” he said, as he mimicked the guy by throwing the rucksack at his feet.

The guy scooped it up quickly, not even trying to hide his shaking hands. He lifted the gun again, and began walking backwards out of the clearing. Mila could tell that as soon as he was out of sight he was going to break into a run. 

“Tell your friends,” she called out after him as he left. Tell your friends? I sound like the most moronic dealer ever, she thought. She did this when she was nervous, made jokes, even inside her own head.

She let out a breath as the man and his gun were completely gone now. She could not believe what she had just done. Joaquin was right, small towns were troublesome. She put her hands on her knees and bent over, beginning to laugh even though she didn’t know why. She was alive! Wasn’t that reason enough? She stood up straight again, still laughing in relief, not realising the serpent was watching her closely.

His words interrupted her happy mood, “Tell your friends?” He was mocking her. He was also very angry.

She looked at him, “What? I panicked!”

The serpent braced himself, as if he was about to give the chewing out of his lifetime. 

Uh oh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg did they just meet! i think they just met ;)))))


	4. The Saviour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rest easy kiddos, here is the next part :)

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” FP yelled.

“What do you mean? I just saved you!” Mila answered. 

“Saved me? You could have gotten us both killed.” She could have messed the whole deal up, FP was seething. 

“If it wasn’t for me, you would be a corpse right now!” Mila couldn’t believe her ears. She had stepped in and actually saved this guys life.

“What if he had found out you weren’t with me? He would have killed us both.”

“Well he didn’t and you’re alive, so you’re welcome… bitch,” she yelled back.

Did she just call me a bitch? FP thought, Who is this girl? He looked are her incredulously. As much as he didn’t care to admit it, she had saved his life. She hadn’t cried, hadn’t screamed, hadn’t called for help. She’d just stepped in and diffused the situation. She was crazy, and brave. 

“Bitch?” he scoffed.

“Yeah, you’re being a little bitch right now! Just say thank you.” 

He really couldn’t believe this girl, “Thank you.” It sounded almost like a question.

She nodded, “You’re welcome.” Now that the adrenaline was leaving her, she didn’t really know what to do next. She realised how dark it was, that she was in the middle of the woods with a tall dark, and though handsome, also very dangerous stranger.

“Uh.. so… what are your plans for the weekend?” What was she doing? Was she trying to make him angry?

He gave a laugh of disbelief, “What?”

“I don’t know,” she threw are arms up, “You just had a gun pointed at you! What am I supposed to say?”

She was obviously young, he couldn’t expect her to be completely unaffected by what just happened. He cursed himself once again for not bringing Joaquin with him, he could have avoided this whole mess. 

“What are you doing here anyway?” he asked, his tone much lighter than before. He should probably find out how his ‘saviour’ ended up here.

“I was exploring.” That wasn’t really much of an answer.

“You’re lost aren’t you?”

“No,” she paused, “Define lost.” He lifted an eyebrow. “Yes.”

Great, he’d been saved by a lost girl in the woods. He prayed the Serpents wouldn’t find out about this. They’d kick his ass for letting an outsider interfere, and then after that they would never let him live it down.

“Well I guess I owe you- I could take you home.” A thought occurred to him, “You’re not gonna talk are you?”

“I’m not a squealer, but in case you didn’t notice I kind of incriminated myself there a little bit. If that guy’s caught he is going to mention that you had a partner who looks exactly like me.” Plus I came to this town to avoid this sort of thing, she added in her head. She gave a shaky breath.

She sounded sincere, FP believed she wouldn’t tell anyone. Something about this girl was intriguing. If anyone else were in her shoes, he imagined he would be having a much different conversation

“Did you want that ride?” Maybe he could assess her further in the car. If it looked like she was gonna tell somebody then he’d… well, he wasn’t sure what he would do.

She took a step back, “No. I’m fine.” 

She’d just talked around a man with a gun, yet she didn’t want a ride with him? 

He sighed, “At least let me give you directions.” She was eager to get out of there, she complied and stepped forward.

He gave them to her and she gave him a nod of thanks. She turned around and started walking away. 

He couldn’t help but call out, “What’s your name?”

He wanted to know her name? Should she give it to him? He might try and look for her if she told him. Plus Joaquin knew who she was, it wouldn't be hard to find her at all once they learned about each others mutual friend.

“Sarah,” she answered, without turning back around. She thanked god he couldn’t see her face, because she imagined it looked ridiculous. Still, it bought her some time.

“Sarah,” FP said to himself once she had left. 

When he got back to the Whyte Wyrm Joaquin was waiting for him. 

“How did it go?” he asked.

FP thought it was better not to worry him, “Fine.”

He didn’t tell him about the girl, or that he had followed her into town to make sure she was safe.

 

~~~

 

Joaquin came into Sheila’s the next day to ask Mila to hang out again.

She didn’t know how to act when he came in. Did he know about last night? Had that man told him? 

“Hi,” he smiled brightly at her. Ok, so maybe he didn’t know.

“Hey,” she said quietly.

“So last night was fun,” he started. She panicked until she remembered they had hung out last night. All night the only events running through her mind were those that involved a gun. 

“Yeah, it was,” she gave small smile.

“Do you want to meet at Pop’s again tonight?” Joaquin knew it was soon, but it was nice having a break from the Serpents with someone normal.

Mila knew what happened wasn’t Joaquin’s fault. But she was freaked out. He was in a gang that dealt hefty sums of money and drugs. She’d been down a bad road before, she couldn’t do it again.

“I can’t tonight, sorry.” She didn’t look him in the eye.

Joaquin looked disappointed. It made Mila feel guilty, he hadn’t done anything wrong. Wait he had, hadn't he? He was in the gang, he probably had hands in some of their deals.

“That’s too bad. What about during the week?”

“I’ll let you know.” She was stalling, but she didn’t have the hear to give him a flat no.

He gave her a confused look, “Sure Mila, I’ll come by later.”

“No need,” she said a little too brightly, “I’ll text you.”

He gave her a nod and left. She sighed and sunk into her chair at the counter. What was she going to do? When she had come home last night she hadn’t told her grandmother about any of it. Should she tell someone? Surely it was safer to act like she hadn’t seen anything. Her mind was working overtime and for once she was actually grateful she was helping out at Sheila’s. Mundane tasks were good for keeping your mind off of things. 

 

~~~~

Joaquin went to visit FP at his house, feeling slightly defeated. He didn’t bother knocking, just walked straight in. He was surprised to find FP wasn’t sprawled on his couch like usual. He was dressed, clean, and going over the books at the kitchen table. 

He sat down in one of the chairs.

“What’s wrong?” FP said without looking up. He was always good at reading Joaquin’s emotions. He fathered him a lot more than his own father had.

“Nothing. I just went to see Mila and she was acting pretty weird,” Joaquin said, not really thinking much of it. 

“That new girl you mentioned?” Something in FP’s mind clicked. He had never seen the girl from last night before. She definitely lived in Riverdale because he had followed her into town. Was she the same girl Joaquin was talking about? If it was her, that girl had obviously given him a fake name. It was smart, considering he’d been looking through his phonebook to see if any Sarah’s lived in town.

“Yeah. It’s probably fine though. I’ll talk to her later,” Joaquin said.

“Do you know why she was acting weird?” FP said as his heart jumped. The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it was that he had let her leave last night. She could tell anyone about what happened, and if she did he would be in deep shit. 

“No. It might be something to do with her dad.” Joaquin looked like he didn’t want to talk about it any more. 

“Who’s her dad?” FP needed some information about her.

“Sheila’s son-in-law.”

“Sheila’s? She’s Sheila’s granddaughter?” Now he knew where he got her spunk. And her courage. 

“Yeah,” Joaquin gave a small chuckle, “She’s like Sheila reincarnated. Beautiful and badass.”

She definitely was both those things from what FP had remembered last night. Still, he should probably avoid Sheila’s for a while. His face might upset her, and cause her to tattle about what happened. He couldn’t have that. The less reminders of him she saw, the better. Or maybe he should talk to her? Shit, he had no clue what to do about this situation.

“Maybe you shouldn’t go over there for a while,” he tried to say casually to Joaquin.

Joaquin narrowed his eyes, “Why? What did you do?”

“Nothing, nothing. Just give her a little space to feel better.”

Joaquin nodded like that made sense, “Thanks FP. I know this stuff probably bores you.”

“Anytime kid.” FP gave him a wink, and hoped that Joaquin didn’t see right through him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> your comments are giving me life rn x thanks everyone :)


	5. The Distraction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> seriously if you know me and the type of person i am... you would be surprised at how quickly i am updating this

After Joaquin left, Mila was feeling pretty down. She’d disappointed him, she knew that, but god she was not in her right mind at present. She needed a better distraction, sweeping hair off the floor wasn’t really cutting it. As much as her mind kept going back to the gun, it also went back to the man she had saved. He was handsome, and terribly ungrateful. She could have walked away and left him to get shot, but she’d stepped in and rescued him like a knight in shining armour. How could she be so stupid? Every time she looked through the glass window at Sheila’s she kept imagining she saw him. Like he was going to silence her for good at any minute.

Her grandmother had come to check on her a few times once she had moved to the backroom in hopes that she would stop feeling like she was being watched. She’d begun sketching again, and she kept catching herself drawing things she shouldn’t be, like she was trying to incriminate herself even further. Oh god, she thought, what if I get arrested? Sheila could cope with a lot of things from her, but the police was a whole other ball game. She might even send her back to her father, though that was looking like a pretty good option to Mila now. It would be even worse if she was sent to her father’s mother, Grandma Ruth. Mila shuddered at the thought.

Once again, Sheila came out the back. Probably to ask her how she was doing and if she needed anything, just like the last few times. She could obviously tell something was up with her. However, she was surprised at her grandmother’s next words.

“You have a friend here to see you,” Sheila said with a glint in her eye. She was probably dancing for joy in her head, thinking Mila was finally settling and making new friends. Little did she know that she had just said the worst thing imaginable. Mila jumped out of her seat, her heart racing. Should she leave out a window? Was there even a window she could crawl out of? There was one in the bathroom, but she’d have to walk through the salon floor to get there. Oh crap, she thought as she ran through her list of options.

Her grandmother watched her curiously. “Come on Mila, go say hi.”

She supposed this was it. Maybe the last time she’d ever see her grandmother again. She walked up to her grandmother and took her hands, “You’ve been a real trooper Sheila.”

“Mila, stop leaving your friend waiting,” she chastised. 

Mila took a deep breath and walked through the the salon floor… and sighed in relief as she saw a head of blonde hair coming towards her.

“Hi Mila, how are you?” Polly said sweetly. At this moment, Mila didn’t think she was happier to see anyone in her life. 

“Hey Polly, I’m good.”

“That’s great.” Polly looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn't bring herself to.

“Is everything ok?” Mila asked. 

“Yes, it is,” Polly said quickly.

“Did you need something?” Mila was starting to get a little freaked out.

“I need a favour,” Polly said, as she scrunched her forehead. 

Mila relaxed a little bit, “Sure, anything.”

“Would you come out with me tonight?” she said in a rushed tone.

Mila almost laughed, “What that’s it? You’re asking me to come out with you on a Saturday night?”

Polly looked a little better, “Yeah, is that ok?”

“Of course! I’ve been dying to do something fun.” Plus this would help her take her mind off of last night. In fact, this was the perfect distraction she had been looking for. 

Mila took another look at Polly’s face, “There’s more isn’t there?”

“Yes,” she answered sheepishly, “The thing is I was kind of hoping we could meet Jason.”

“We?”

“You see my Mum, she’s kind of strict. But if I told her we were staying her your place, and she could talk to your grandmother on the phone, then we could go meet him and…” she trailed off.

Mila laughed, remembering all the times she had pulled this trick. “So you guys can hang out.”

“I shouldn’t have asked. I’m so sorry.”

“No, it’s ok,” Mila said hastily, “Who am I to stand in the way of true love?” At least she’d still be getting out of the house, and out of her own head. 

“Are you sure? Because it can just be you and me if you want to?”

“Polly it’s fine. Where are we going to meet Jason?”

“It’s a bar called the Whyte Wyrm. It’s a little-“

“Dirty? Trust me I’ve seen worse.”

“What I mean to say is the people are-“

“Gropey?” Mila interrupted again, “Once again, I imagine I have been through worse. I am a New Yorker after all.” She was so eager to have something to do that she wasn’t listening to Polly’s warnings. 

Polly looked very happy, “You are amazing! I promise we won’t ditch you.”

“No no, ditch me. You two kids should have fun. I’m sure I’ll meet someone there.” There’s was always someone you could chat to in a bar. And Mila imagined Polly didn’t get to see Jason alone that often if her mother was a strict as she said. 

“Wait, isn’t his family in town this weekend?” Mila remembered.

“He’s going to meet us after they have dinner. His twin is helping him sneak out.”

“His twin? Nice. One for me.”

Polly giggled, “His twin’s name is Cheryl.”

“Ah,” Mila said, “Still.. if she’s hot.”

Polly giggled again. She liked Mila very much, she was funny and outgoing, everything Polly wished she could be.

“So why are you asking me?” Mila was curious.

“Because.. your sort of the only one who knows about Jason.”

“What?” Mila was surprised, “But we’d only just met.”

“Yeah I know, but I felt like I could trust you. And I guess, you didn’t know anyone so it seemed… safer.”

“Tut tut, look at you Polly Cooper, exploiting the new girl.”

Polly’s eyes widened, “I wasn’t trying to.”

Mila smirked, “I’m just kidding Polly. I’ll see you tonight. We’ll get ready at my house.” Polly was a little gullible for Mila’s tastes, but it seemed like she had found a new friend.

Polly smiled, “Ok. I’ll see you tonight.”

Polly turned to leave before Mila said, “Wait. Do you know where I live?”

This time Polly was the one who smirked, “It’s small town remember? Of course I know where you live.”

Small towns. Right.

 

~~~~

FP really hadn't much that day. He’d showered, hit the books, talked to Joaquin, watched the girl from last night through Sheila’s salon window. Nothing at all.

He was actually still there, and had been for longer than he was proud of. He was parked on the other side, down the road a little bit and into an alley. He was no rookie after all. The position gave him a clear view into the shop. He’d watched Mila help around the shop a little, until she had gone out the back. FP confirmed it was the same girl from last night, and the one Joaquin had been hanging out with. Small towns huh, gotta love ‘em.

If he was honest with himself, he didn’t know what he was doing there. He kept preparing himself to get out of the car to talk to her, before talking himself down and continuing to watch the shop. He had really gotten himself into a mess. He supposed he was trying to gage how she was handling what had happened, and if she looked like she was close to telling somebody. 

She’d come out again to talk to the Cooper girl, who FP knew had some secrets of her own. So maybe Mila was good at keeping secrets too, he hoped. 

They talked for a while. FP began studying Mila, comparing her to the Sheila who he had known for most of his life. They were very similar. Same hair, same eyes. Both tall and slim, but not fragile. No, they both walked like they were making a statement, like they owned the room and knew it. 

FP shook is head, remembering why he was here. The girl. The gun. His mess.

The Cooper girl left after that. He noticed Mila looked a lot happier after talking to her, and he took that as a good sign. Maybe she felt like she was back to normal after talking to her friend. He didn’t actually know if they were friends, Mila was new in town and Joaquin hadn’t mentioned it. But their body language had said they liked each other. So maybe they were friends. 

He saw one of the customers say something to Mila. A lady, probably around his age, who looked like she was trying to be 20 years younger than she was. Mila turned away from her and he saw her roll her eyes. He chuckled to himself. No, he didn’t suppose she would like the small-minded people around here very much. Joaquin had told him that she was a city girl, she probably missed it. As much trouble as she was, she was amusing to watch, and not hard on the eyes either. No at all. FP had certainly had worst targets. But it was a little more than that. The longer he watched her, the more he had trouble looking away. Probably just too much coffee, he thought himself. He had drunk a lot of it on his supposed ‘stake out’. Wasn’t really much of a stake out in broad daylight. 

She didn’t seem in any danger of letting slip what had happened, so FP figured it was about time to leave. He could probably go home and sleep some of the night off, he hadn’t actually slept yet. Or even better, he could do what he usually did when he was stressed, get a nice drink at his favourite bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so obviously the next chapter is gonna be good ;) fair warning that it may take a little longer than normal because i have about 3 assignments to complete that i have been putting off aha x


	6. The Bar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOO I posted ;)

They had been getting ready for a solid few hours. Polly was meticulously doing her hair and makeup, and every time she made the tiniest error she would start all over again. Mila could tell she was nervous, and excited. She wondered how serious her and Jason were, or how many dates they had been on. She was trying so hard to look good for him that it was clear she cared about him very much. It had been a long time since Mila had felt that excited to see a boy. She’d had boyfriends in New York sure, but you dated one city boy, you dated them all. They were boring, and pretentious. She certainly didn’t miss that side of things. 

She did miss her dad though. She missed the way he always seemed to have his head stuck in a book. He’d read for hours, not realising how much time had passed until Mila brought him a tea and some dinner. And that was only when he wasn’t busy working the day away. At first he hadn’t noticed how much she had snuck out. His work and his mind put him practically on another planet, one which Mila would never reach. She didn’t know what exactly it was that had made him start paying closer attention, but he had suddenly realised that she would leave for whole nights, and sometimes even days at a time. She had blamed it on a busy social life, and though it was mostly true, he had sensed the trouble she was getting herself into. 

Mila stared at the clothes in her wardrobe. What was appropriate for a small town bar? She had no idea. In the end she let Polly pick something out for her. Even though she was a little bummed she wouldn’t be hanging out with Polly, she was determined for her to have a good time, and Polly was delighted to have helped Mila get ready. It also seemed to set her mind at ease.

She even offered to do Mila’s hair and make-up, and though Mila was no stranger in that department, she still let Polly have her fun. And at least that way she didn’t have to make all the decisions.

She went into Sheila’s room, to look in her full-length mirror. Polly was still busy fixing her make-up in Mila’s room for the hundredth time. Her grandmother was sitting on her bed, reading a book, and she looked up and smiled when Mila walked in.

“You look beautiful, Angel,” she said warmly. There was also a hint of sadness in her voice, as she was remembering all the times Mila’s mother had dressed up to go out. 

“Thanks Grandma,” Mila said softly, and then turned to the mirror to see what Polly had made out of her. She looked good, Polly had done well. The makeup was simple, but it enhanced Mila’s already lovely face. Her outfit wasn’t too fancy either, it wasn’t like they were going to a night club. She looked a lot like her mother. She understood why it might make her grandmother a little nostalgic.

“So, off to a party?” Her grandmother asked.

“We’re meeting Polly’s secret boyfriend. You didn’t tell Polly’s mum did you?” 

Her grandmother chuckled, “I told Alice you were going to Pop’s and meeting a few friends for dinner.”

“Naughty Sheila, helping the kids sneak out.”

“Alice is too stern for her own good. Plus I remember many a time I caught her out and about in town when her mother was none the wiser.” Sheila looked smug. 

“She sounds like a piece of work.”

“She’s just cautious. But you can’t expect kids not to try things. It’’s better for them to trust you to tell them where they are, and for them to trust you back.”

“You should write a book,” Mila laughed.

“No sweetheart. Painting is my forte, you know that.”

“Are you sure it’s the painting? Or is it just the naked models?” Mila said, walking out the room before she could hear what her grandmother was calling her.

She went back to her room, to see Polly, who was finally ready to go. Mila glanced at the clock, it was already ten, and they had told Jason they would meet him half an hour a go. She didn’t want to tell Polly the time, it might cause her to spontaneously combust. She settled for shuffling her out of the house quickly so that they could get well on their way.

 

~~~~~

They ended up meeting Jason outside of the bar. Mila had to admit she was pretty excited to meet him to see what all the fuss was about. As they approached him, Polly looked like she wanted to run up and hug him, but was either too shy in front of Mila or just plain shy. 

“Hello Polly,” Jason gave a winning smile, “And hello Polly’s friend.” When he turned that smile on her, Mila could see why Polly liked him so much.

“The prodigal Blossom. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Mila flashed her own kilowatt smile.

“All good things I hope.”

“I don’t think Polly has a bad word to say about you,” Mila said.

“I don’t have any about her either.” Though he was talking to Mila, he had looked at Polly and smiled at her when speaking. It made Mila’s grin widen as she took the pair in. Their love practically smacked you in the face the way it was so obvious. She didn’t know why they were hiding it. Anyone who saw them together could see they cared about each other. Polly hadn’t told her why they were keeping it hidden, but she hoped when people found out they would be ok.

“Shall we go inside?” Mila didn’t want to interrupt their moment, but as adorable as it was, it wasn’t nearly as exciting when you weren’t quite a part of it. Plus, from the outside, the bar was loud and jubilant. Who knew small town bars would be so lively?

Jason brightened at Mila’s words, “Yes, lets go. I have to show Polly something.”

He took Polly’s hand and started walking inside, Mila trailing behind them. At this point she was grateful they would be spending time alone, she didn’t know how much fun she would have third wheeling all night. Jason was very attentive to Polly, she didn’t really blame them for wanting to be together.

As they went inside Mila was busy staring at the lover’s hands, thinking about what her first boyfriend had been like. She’d been fourteen, more involved with the idea of dating than the actual boy. He’d been sweet, she remembered that much, but other than that nothing really stuck in her mind. It was nothing like Polly and Jason.

They were inside the bar and she looked up from their hands. It was a rowdy bunch of people. Mostly men. Mostly older than they were. Mostly… wearing leather jackets. Oh no. She hadn’t- This couldn’t be-

She turned back to where Polly and Jason had been, and breathed in sharply when she realised they weren’t there anymore.

“I guess that thing couldn’t wait huh Jason?” she spoke under her breath, her voice squeaky. She looked around, trying to see them. How could they have brought her here? Wait, what if they didn't know about the Southside Serpents? She couldn’t leave them here to fend for themselves. But that was stupid- they’d lived in Riverdale all their lives, they must have known who frequented the Whyte Wyrm. She really couldn’t leave them, could she? Just in case they didn’t know what they had walked into. Jesus. She needed a drink. A drink first, then she would find them.

Would they even let her drink here? You looked old enough in New York, they would let you in anywhere. She’d never had trouble getting into, and drinking at clubs. But this was a small town, and though she knew for a fact the people in this bar were so not morally centred, they might ask for ID. 

She turned to the nearest guy. “Buy me a drink?” she practically ordered him.

He gave her a once over, “Hell yes sweetheart, what’ll you have?”

“The strongest thing this place has.”

The man laughed, “Sure.”

He began to head to the bar before Mila stopped him, “I’m worried what you heard was get me a strong drink, but I want you to literally get me the strongest drink in this bar.”

He nodded, “Yes m’am.”

When he was gone she started fidgeting. She kept scanning the place for Polly and Jason, and for- well, she didn’t actually know what his name was. But maybe he wasn’t here, she thought hopefully. Maybe he was getting held up by another gun, she smiled at the thought. Yeah, thats probably where he was, at gunpoint with no way to get to her.   
The man returned with her drink and handed it to her.

“Careful now, you’ll want to sip it slow, this here’s a fine whiskey-“

He barely finished his sentence before she had gulped the thing down, not even batting an eyelid. He looked at her with wide eyes, before giving her another sweeping look. This time with more drooling.

“So where are you fro-“

“Bye,” she cut him off, and moved further into the bar, anxiously looking for any glimpse of blonde hair. 

The bar smelt like leather and alcohol. At least half the patrons were wearing a serpent jacket. She hoped once more that her serpent wasn’t here to spot her, because if he did he would have her cornered. She’d had to smack around guys in clubs a few times. She could fight off one guy, maybe two, but she could not take on the whole bar.

As she walked through the bar, she stole another drink off a random table and shot it down without looking back. There were pool tables further out the back and she couldn’t see the lovers there. This was hopeless, the place was too busy and too big. She wouldn’t be able to find them. 

She sighed to herself, wondering what her plan of action should be. Because if there was even the slightest chance that Polly and Jason didn’t know what the Serpents got up to in their spare time, then there was no way she could leave them here. I’m Mother freaking Theresa, she thought to herself. 

She looked around the bar one last time before her eyes settled on some dartboards. She was exceptionally good at darts, maybe she could swindle some of the patrons. It seemed like a good idea, the alcohol had loosened her up a bit. She wasn’t drunk, but hell she was out on a Saturday night, and there had been no sign of her serpent. Why the hell not?

She walked up to one of the dartboards that wasn't being used and grabbed the darts off of it.

“Any takers?” she called out. She got dismissive looks from some of the men. She decided to play the newbie angle, “Please, I’ve never played before. 100 dollars for best of 3, I really want to learn.” She only had $40 on her, but she wasn’t planning on losing.

One of the more confident men stepped towards her, “Sweetheart I don't want to take your money. How about this? If I win, I get to buy you a drink.”

She swear she threw up in her mouth a little bit, but she nodded sweetly at him. He wasn’t wearing a serpent jacket, and while others looked like they had seen a fair few rough days, this man looked like he’d been cradled by money all his life. He also didn’t look like he was from Riverdale.

She lost the first round on purpose, to give him a false sense of security. When it was his turn, he’d looked at her smugly, before only hitting the 20 once, and barely scoring 100 points. The rest of the first round continued in the same manner.

While the first round had been 501 up, she decided to change the rules for the second round.   
“301, double in,” she said. This guy looked like he couldn’t hit a double to save his life. 

She was right. She’d won before he had even managed to get a single double.

He gave her a dubious look, before settling back into his cocky routine, “Beginner’s luck. You’ll still get that drink honey, don’t worry.”  
They played the final round, and she won on a bull out. At this point, some other guys had bought her another two drinks and she was about to receive 100 big ones. She was a happy girl. Standers-by were laughing at her opponent, even the guy’s friends were smirking. And while their insults were about getting beaten by a girl, the near-by serpents ones were about him being swindled. 

She looked at the man and stuck her hand out. 

“I thought you said you hadn’t played before,” he said in a low voice.

“Don’t believe everything you hear,” she answered.

“Here,” he grumbled, barely looking at her as he handed her the money. 

She smiled and started walking to the bar, playing with the money in her hands. She broke out of the crowd that had gathered to watch her win, all still cheering and laughing at the man she had defeated, when she bumped into someone in front of her.

“Oh, sorry.” She said before glancing up and freezing. Oh no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did i leave you guys hanging once again for a Fila interaction (thanks xdaddys for that)- you bet I did  
> should i feel guilty about it? probably..
> 
> thanks for all the feedback though, i really appreciate it xx


	7. The Bar (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg did i finally update? I think I did. sorry for leaving you hanging before!
> 
> and btw if there are any little head canons, or moments you want to happen, i can try and write them into the story!  
> so give me ideas, suggestions, even if you think they are silly I'm sure i'll love them :)) if you don't want to post them you can message me on my tumblr which is still abrokefangirl xx

She did the only thing see could think of. “I’ll give you 100 dollars to pretend you didn’t see me,” she said. He ignored her. 

“What are you doing in my bar? Are you a cop?” The serpent narrowed his eyes.

“A cop?” she asked incredulously, “I just bet money and won. Would a cop do that?”

“Right,” he relaxed. Of course. He’d watched her all day at Sheila’s, he knew she wasn't a cop, but seeing her so suddenly had aroused suspicion. He had walked over to the crowd to see what all the leering and cheering was about, only to find Mila. Winning at darts no less.

“You shouldn't be here,” he continued. How old was she exactly? He didn’t expect to be met with a scoff. 

“Why?” she said with a glint in her eye, “You planning on holding this place up with a gun?”

She sure doesn’t beat around the bush, he thought. “I wasn’t the one with the gun,” he huffed.

“No, you were just the damsel in distress that I rescued.” She should have been a lot more scared than she was, but she was pretty buzzed at this point. Besides, he was telling her to leave? The man she had caught making a drug deal?

He didn't reply, he just looked at her. It made her uncomfortable more quickly than she cared to admit.

“If you’re going to off me, just get on with it already.” 

His eyes widened, “You think I’m going to kill you?”

“Well yeah. I’m a witness. A loose end. I’ve been waiting all day for a hitman to kick down my door.”

He swallowed, “I wouldn’t- that’s not my game.” He had been so worried that she was going to tell someone, he hadn’t considered how she had been feeling. It almost hurt that she thought he would do something like that. Which was stupid, considering he barely knew her. Townsfolk already knew he was a shady character, but he would never kill someone.

Mila observed him. He wasn’t going to hurt her? Had she been stressing out for nothing?

“Oh,” she said simply. She gave him closer look. She took in his features, stubble, his eyes, and the worry lines he had obviously created over the past day. He looked like a poor schmuck who couldn’t catch a break. He looked like she had been feeling.

“Look, I’m not going to tell anyone,” she promised.

He gave her a surprised look. He didn’t know what it was about her, but she seemed so trustworthy. She had eyes that looked like she had seen a lot, if he wasn’t careful he might get lost in them.

“I appreciate that,” he finally said.

“And, I appreciate you not brutally murdering me,” she answered slowly. He gave a small smile. It caught her off guard.

A man Mila had never seen before came and playfully hooked his arm around the serpent’s shoulders. He was older, around 60, his hair curly and long, which looked like it was constantly falling into his face. 

“I see you’re talking to the con artist FP, she sure gave that pretty boy a run for his money.” The man grinned at her, but Mila was busy wondering what kind of a name FP was.

“She did,” FP smiled, “Maybe you should challenge her to a game Norman.”

“Hell no,” Norman flashed a toothy grin, that was actually missing a bit of tooth, “No one’s going to come near her after that trick she pulled.”

“Well than I guess I got what I wanted,” Mila joked.

“Ooh she’s funny,” Norman faced FP, “Did you hear that FP, she’s a funny girl!”

“How many have you had Norman?” FP asked.

“Indescribable amounts.” Norman’s face was red from the alcohol.

“How about one more? I’ll buy us a drink with my winnings,” Mila offered, tipsy and eager enough to keep drinking herself.

Norman gasped, “Funny and generous! FP I like this girl.”

Norman ran ahead to the bar, practically skipping, while FP and Mila followed.

“He won’t leave you alone all night,” FP warned, “He likes to make friends.”

“It’s probably a good thing. I might need a bodyguard in this place.”

“I thought you said I was the damsel.” FP gave her a smirk. Man he was good at those. He also had the most intense eyes she had ever seen. Now that she wasn’t worried about the threat of death around him, she was noticing a lot more than before.

She looked back, “FP huh?”

He returned her gaze, “You had me pegged for someone else?”

She just smiled at him, “I’m Mila.” He didn’t tell her he already knew that.

They had reached the bar by that point, and Mila needn’t have worried whether she would be served. She simply asked the barman for three drinks, and he obliged straight away. Norman had started without them and already had two empty glasses next to him at the bar. 

While they sat, people kept coming up to Mila and patting her on the back for her win. After a while she realised all of them had been serpents. It confused her. These people who were supposedly thieves and drug dealers were being so accepting. Norman noticed her look.  
“It’s because you’re sitting with the main man.”

Mila laughed, “I should have known Norman. You probably run this place like a tight ship.” 

“Not me,” Norman smirked, “Him.” He nodded his head at FP who was sitting in between them.

If Mila hadn’t been sitting down, she would have had to take a seat. Not only was FP a serpent, but he was their leader? 

Mila raised an eyebrow at FP, “Is that so?” She tried to hide the shock in her voice.

“I try not to brag.”

“If anything I should be the one bragging. Not only did I save a gang member, I saved the leader of a gang.” Drunk Mila said that a little loudly.

“What’s this about saving?” Norman said. He was practically sweating from all the alcohol he had consumed. 

“Nothing,” FP warned, looking between Mila and Norman.

Norman was laughing, “Oh FP, you sure stepped in it, didn’t you.” Norman swigged his drink and leaned back in his chair.

FP was about to ask what he meant before being interrupted. 

“Mila?” A voice had called out from behind them.

All three turned to see Joaquin standing there. Mila was pretty drunk, but she thought she saw something like hurt dance across his face. 

“Joaquin,” she stood, “How are you?” 

“Is this what you meant when you said you couldn’t hang out? What are you doing here?”

“I’m with… was with Polly. She dragged me here.”

Joaquin frowned, “She shouldn’t have done that.”

“Why? Oh is this the place you didn’t want to take me? It’s ok, turns out snakes aren’t that scary!”

She turned to FP and gave him a huge grin, then looked at Joaquin again, “See!”

Joaquin looked between the two, “Wait, have you met before?” He seemed to give FP a look, one Mila couldn’t quite read.

Mila smiled, oblivious to any consequences her words might cause, “Yeah I thought he was trying to kill me, but it turns out he isn’t!”

Joaquin looked shocked, but Norman was laughing so hard it sounded like a bear call. He was a pretty hefty man and the laugh suited him. Mila found herself giggling along with him.

“Maybe I should take you home,” Joaquin said concernedly.

“No,” Norman roared, “We want Mila to stay. Don’t we boys!” He called out to the bar, and was met with cheers from other serpents who had seen Mila’s dart game.

“I can’t leave without Polly, and trust me she is impossible to find. She ran off with Jason- ooh that supposed to be a secret,” Mila covered her mouth, unaware that the only other people who knew about Polly and Jason were with her in the bar.

“Jason’s here?” FP finally spoke, “Excuse me.” He stood up and stalked off, casting Mila one more glance before disappearing. Joaquin eyes followed him as he left, trying to figure out just what had happened with Mila. 

“Anyway Joaquin,” she said, interrupting his thoughts, “The important thing is we can be friends now!” She leant forward and hugged him. While he was confused, he knew FP had had something to do with this. God he had even asked the bastard and he had lied to his face. 

“Come on,” he said gently, “Let’s go.”

“But Polly.” Mila protested.

“Polly will be fine, Jason will take her home.”

She searched his face and could see he was upset, so she agreed to go with him. 

As she was leaving Norman called out to her, “Come back you hear!”

She gave him a sweet smile, and continued with Joaquin outside the bar. 

“Hey, are you ok?” she asked as they walked towards one of the many pick-up trucks parked outside.

“I’m fine. Do you need help getting in the car?”

Mila scoffed, “I’m not that drunk.”

They started the drive in silence. Mila wasn’t enjoying it very much, and had the slightest feeling that Joaquin was upset with her.

“Look I’m sorry I said we couldn’t hang out tonight,” she blurted out.

“That’s why you think I’m upset?” Joaquin shook his head.

“Well… isn’t it?”

“You said- you said snakes weren’t scary anymore. Did you think I was going to hurt you?” The hurt in his voice broke Mila’s heart.

“No, of course not. It didn’t have anything to do with you. It’s just- something happened last night and I… freaked a little bit.”

“What happened?” Joaquin needed to know what had caused Mila to be scared of him.

“I can’t say. But it doesn’t matter anymore, it’s over.” Mila sighed, “I really want to be your friend Joaquin. You’re one of the only people in this town that I actually like.”

Joaquin gave a small laugh, making Mila grin widely. “I want to be your friend too,” he admitted, “But I don’t want you to be scared of me.”

“With those puny arms? Not a chance,” she smiled at him, and he smiled back. Avoiding Joaquin had bothered her and she was glad that, now she knew his boss wouldn’t kill her, it would be safe to hang out with him.

“So,” she pushed, “Are you still mad?”

“Not at you,” Joaquin said. She hoped she wouldn’t be a part of that conversation.

When they reached her house Mila glanced at the clock in his car. It read 11.32.

“Look I- do you want to stay? It’s still early. We could hang out like you wanted. We could talk about boys, watch trashy movies. Sheila’s probably still up, you’ll love her commentary.”

He looked like he was considering it, so she prodded further, “Come on. It’ll be fun!” She gave him one of her cheeky grins, “You don’t have to yell at him yet.” Because she knew exactly who he was mad at. 

Joaquin smiled at her, “I guess you’re right.” He could forget about FP for one night. But he was going to have some words with him, FP was going to tell him exactly what went on last night.

“I know I’m right,” she hopped out of the car, “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Joaquin is just.. I just love him.


	8. The Apology

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks you for all the comments, they are the real inspiration for the story <3 and remember to feel free to ask me to include any fluffy moments (or even some angsty ones) you might like included in the pic! my tumblr is abrokefangirl if you want to message me there xx

When Mila woke up that morning, the first thing she saw was a serpent jacket laid out on a chair she had in her room. For a brief moment she was startled, thinking it belonged to someone.. else. But then she remembered the end of last night, and also remembered the body lying next to her in bed was one she could never tempt with her own. 

She smiled at the sleeping Joaquin, who looked like an ethereal angel. The man who got to wake up next to him was a lucky man indeed. As if he could tell she was looking at him, his eyes slowly opened and he gave her a lazy smile. 

“First you give me a tattoo, and then you get me to sleep in your bed,” he said, “Sheila said I would be a good influence on you, but I don’t think it’s working.”

“Why fix what’s not broken?” Mila replied. She noticed Joaquin looked like he hadn’t slept very well.

He sat up and leant against the headboard, “You know, I didn’t actually ask if you were ok.”

“What?” That took Mila off guard. 

“You said something happened on Friday, and I didn’t ask if you were ok.” He said it hesitantly, as if he had something to feel guilty about. Maybe if he knew what happened she could understand that, but he didn’t.

“I’m fine,” she smiled, and for the most part she was telling the truth. FP had said he wouldn’t hurt her, and that was what she had been worried about. So… it was over really. Wasn’t it?

“I just- I’ll understand. You can talk to me about it.” And that’s when Mila realised that it wasn’t over for Joaquin, and probably never would be. What she had gone through was his life, FP’s too.

“What about you?” Mila asked.

“Me?” Joaquin said confusedly.

“You’re a Southside Serpent, whatever the hell that means. Are you ok?”

Joaquin suddenly understood what she was getting at, “The serpents aren’t all that bad. They’re family.” He tried to brush off her concern. 

“The offer stands for you too. The secrets out, I know who you guys are. I know what you do. So… you can talk to me too. You don’t have to try and hide something. If you need help, just ask.” She didn’t know if he had any friends outside of the serpents, maybe she could help him find a way out of them. Joaquin didn’t seem like the type of guy to run in a drug-dealing gang, but she supposed you could never really know a person until you knew them. 

Joaquin frowned, “What exactly happened? How much do you know?”

Mila proceeded to explain about how she had stumbled upon FP’s drug deal. She left out the gun, and that she had pretended to be FP’s partner when the situation had gotten out of hand. There was no way she was telling him that, he would probably spontaneously combust.

Joaquin sighed deeply and rubbed his face. “He should have been more careful. You shouldn’t have been able to find him.”

“Well I did, and it’s done, and there is no point trying to pretend any different. I’m not going to say anything. I just want you to be safe.”

“Me?” Joaquin scoffed, “This should never have happened. I’m sorry that you got involved.”

“Hey it’s not like I’m part of your gang now. It won’t happen again. I’m going to be your friend whether you like it or not. And I promise not to participate in any more drug deals.” She held up her hand like a boy scout.

Joaquin gave a small laugh, which was just what Mila had been hoping for.

“I guess you’re right. But I understand if you don’t want to come back to the bar…”

Mila interrupted him, “And miss the chance to see Norman? No way.” To her, the threat was over. Why let one bad experience ruin a fun place?

“I can’t believe you’re taking this so well. Just what exactly did you get up to in New York?” Joaquin gave her a pointed look.

“That is not important. What is important is that I can smell Sheila cooking breakfast,” Mila said. She stood and took Joaquin’s hand, dragging him downstairs where he wouldn’t ask anymore questions.

~~~~

Even though the talk with Mila had helped, Joaquin was angry. FP had let a civilian walk into one of their deals. He sensed Mila wasn’t telling the whole truth, but this alone was bad news. It was reckless. He knew he should have gone with FP.

He got to FP’s house and walked straight through the front door. FP was laying on the couch, the way that he did after a long night. After most nights actually.

“Mila told me what happened!” He said indignantly.

“Good morning to you to sunshine,” FP said, his voice false chipper. 

“FP I told you I would go with you. How could you let this happen?”

FP sighed as he sat up on the couch, “Look, I didn't know he would bring a gun.”

“What?” Joaquin yelled. He was hardly one to raise his voice, and while FP was shocked to see him so angry, he supposed he could understand.

“I’m guessing by your reaction she didn’t tell you about that?” FP cringed.

“FP she could have been killed. You should have been more careful!”

“It’s not my fault she got involved. She’s the one who jumped out of the bush and claimed to be my partner!”

“What are you talking about?” Mila hadn’t mentioned that either. 

“The guy… he was expecting you. He got upset, and Mila stepped in pretending to be my partner.”

“Why would you let her do that?”

“I didn’t let her do anything!” FP yelled back. 

He began talking again, though it was more to himself than Joaquin, “You should have seen that girl Joaquin, she walked in like it was nothing. She saved my life,” he admitted. Joaquin saw something in FP’s face that he shook off quickly before going back on the defensive, “But she was the one who got involved, not me.”

Joaquin didn’t even know what to say. Mila had saved FP’s life? She’d actually willingly put herself in danger to save a stranger, one wearing a gang jacket with a gun pointed to him. 

“She’s not getting into anything like that again, I won’t allow it,” Joaquin stated.

“Of course not, it’s not like I’m recruiting her. It was just a mistake.”

“Yeah well you keep making mistakes FP. Hiring the Blossom kid, coming in drunk.”

FP was shocked, “Low blow kid.” He hid his hurt behind a mask, keeping his face impassive and his words strong, “Joaquin, I know you care about the girl, but she’s fine and I’m fine, and it’s over.”

Joaquin was about to reply when another person barged into FP’s house.

“Honey, I’m home,” Norman sang out, as boisterous sober as he was drunk.

Joaquin rolled his eyes, “Not now Norman.”

Norman came into the room, and took the pair in, “Why the long faces?”

FP stood, all business, “What have you got for me Norman?”

Norman gave them a look before replying, “A new job. One the Blossom can do.”

Joaquin made a move to leave before FP spoke, “We ok kid?”

Joaquin looked at the man he saw as a father. He took in his face, though impassive with that mask of his, his eyes betrayed the guilt he was feeling. He looked at him and knew he would never win when it came to him. He had Joaquin’s loyalty, whether Joaquin liked it or not.

“ We’re fine,” Joaquin begrudged. 

“Joaquin,” Norman piped up, “Bring that Mila to the bar again. She’s a great kid!” Both Joaquin and FP tensed up.

As usual Norman couldn’t read the room and continued, “The way she played that rich snob, she’s one of us, I can feel it.”

“Nobody’s one of you,” Joaquin answered, and left without saying another word.

 

~~~~~

 

Mila had barely finished getting dressed when Sheila called her to the front door.

“What is it Grandma?” she said, tugging a shirt over her head.

“You’re friend is here to see you.”

Mila went to the door, seeing a sheepish looking Polly standing outside.

She turned to her grandmother, “Can you please give us a minute?”

“Sure thing love,” she said, and left them to it.

Polly talked immediately after Sheila had left, “Mila I am so so sorry for leaving you. We found out you had left, and I thought it was because you were mad that I didn't tell you it’s the serpents’ hang out. Are you angry with me?”

“I guess a warning would have been nice,” Mila admitted.

“That’s what Jason said, he was upset I didn’t tell you. He thought you knew where we were going. But I didn’t tell you because… I was afraid you wouldn't cover for me if you knew.” Polly’s eyes looked like they were threatening to spill tears. 

“Polly, I’m not angry. On any other day I would have been all for going to some rough bar,” Mila trailed off, realising she was getting to close to telling Polly what had happened, instead she smiled, “I’m fine.”

Polly sighed in relief, “That’s good. I really am sorry.”

“If anything I’m surprised you would go to a place like that,” Mila said.

“Well, I wouldn’t usually. Jason just had- well he just had to meet someone there.”

“What for?” Mila pushed. Polly was polite, poised, and nothing like the people in that bar.

It wasn’t for lack of trying, but Polly was a bad liar, “He had to see an old friend.”

It wasn’t any of Mila’s business, but she hoped that Jason’s ‘old friend’ wasn’t one of the new ones she had made last night. What business could he have with a serpent though? He was rich, smart, athletic, from what Polly had told her, and he had a girlfriend who loved him.

“Is something wrong? Are you ok?” Mila asked, but Polly just waved her off.

“We’re fine. Everything’s great. But Mila I just feel so awful for leaving you. I promise that we can hang out just the two of us. You’ve been so nice to me, and you’ve helped me and I want us to be friends.”

Mila could see how sincere she was, “We are friends.”

She would find out what Jason was doing, she wouldn’t let Polly get mixed up with the serpents. She might not even know, hell, Mila didn’t actually know if there was anything going on. But Polly was too nice a girl, and she couldn’t see her handling a situation like Mila had had to the other night. 

“Thank goodness. I’ll come and see you in the shop soon, my mum is expecting me home.” Polly smiled sweetly and turned to leave.

“Polly,” Mila called out and Polly turned around, “Just be careful.”

Polly looked at her confusedly, but smiled regardless, “You too.”

As Mila watched Polly leave she saw a little stumble in her step, and looked as she put her hand to her chest and swallowed. Maybe she’s hungover, Mila thought, and turned to walk back inside her house wondering just what Polly Cooper had gotten up to last night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise more FP in the next chapter xx and i have basically written the whole chapter ... should i post it??


	9. The Car

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i haven't edited but i was like 'I'm just gonna put it up otherwise who knows when ill get round to it'
> 
> i think you're gonna like this one

Mila didn’t like grocery shopping. It didn't matter who you were with or what you were getting, it was just boring. In this case, she was with Sheila, and though she loved her grandmother very much, she also took her sweet time picking out all the items she needed. 

“Grandma, those apples aren’t going to feel left out that you didn't pick them.”

Sheila, who had been staring at the pile of apples, huffed, “Stop teasing your grandmother. I’m just trying to pick out some nice ones. Joaquin mentioned he liked apple pie last night, I want to bake him one.”

“You baking? Is a demon possessing your body?”

“You are never to old to try new things.” 

Sheila, bless her heart, though talented in her painting, was not a great cook. Breakfast could have been described as mediocre at best. Joaquin had smiled through it, while Mila had laughed and gobbled it down since she was used to her grandmother’s cooking. Mila trusted her with the simple stuff, but she could not stand by and let her bake an actual desert where you have to preheat the oven and everything. 

“I’m also too young to be poisoned,” Mila exclaimed.

Her grandmother pursed her lips, “Sassy mouths are trashy mouths.” This caused Mila to start laughing, Sheila along with her. 

“How long have you been working on that?” Mila asked.

“Ever since you moved here in town,” Her grandmother joked, which began the laughing again. 

“You’re hilarious,” she said sarcastically, “I’m going to wander around.”

Her grandmother nodded, still looking at the apples, and Mila started walking up and down random aisles trying to cure her boredom.

She was halfway down one of them when she realised her serpent- uh FP, she really had to stop calling him that, was down the other end viewing the beer fridge. Mila paused. Should she say hi? Turning around just seemed a bit obvious that she would be avoiding him. It wasn’t like there was anything to be scared of anymore. It was a challenge, she thought, and she was never one to back down from a challenge. 

She took a deep breath and walked over to lean against the fridge next to his. His fridge door was open, and he only noticed her when he closed it, after having pulled out a 6-pack of beer. Not like Riverdale’s only grocery store offered anymore than that.

“Once again fate throws us together,” Mila smiled.

He looked at her, “Or we just live in the same town.”

Mila put her hand up, “Hey man, don’t worry. If anyone tries to get you in here, I got it.” She was having a little too much fun with this encounter.

FP looked like he wanted to say something back, but was hesitating. Which, Mila realised, he probably was. Joaquin had most definitely talked to him by now and he might have told him to stay away from Mila. She guessed she appreciated it, but she was a forgive and forget kind of person, and it had been her fault she had put herself in the situation in the first place.

“He really gave you a hard time huh?” Mila asked.

FP knew exactly what she was talking about, “The kid cares about you, I’ll give him that.”

“Like you said, we live in the same town. There’s no point holding grudges. I’m willing to let bygones be bygones.”

“You should, it’s your fault,” FP replied smirking, causing Mila to gasp incredulously.

Even though she had just admitted fault in her own head, she wasn’t about to admit to him, “Me, a saint, a rescuer, jumping in for the damsel, and it’s my fault?” She made sure to keep her voice down.

While he had been kidding, FP looked a little miffed, “I was handling it.”

“Yeah, handling it with a gun to your chest.”

Oh this girl really doesn’t know when to quit it, FP thought to himself. She seemed to be exceptionally good at making him riled up.

“Aren’t bygones supposed to be bygones by now?” His raised his eyebrow, repeating her words.

Mila was about say something when Sheila came floating down the aisle.

“Hello FP, how are you doing this morning?” 

FP finally took his eyes off Mila and turned to Sheila, “Great Sheila, how are you?”

“Who knew you were both so civil?” Mila muttered to herself. She knew FP had heard her because he threw a look in her direction.

“I could be better, my car’s giving me trouble, would you mind having a look at it?” Sheila batted her eyelashes at him.

FP gave another glance to Mila before saying, “I suppose I could. When were you thinking?”

“This afternoon,” Sheila said sweetly.

Nobody could say no to Sheila, she was just one of those people. It was a trait passed down to her granddaughter, that FP would later learn.

“Sure thing, I’ll swing by in a hour or two,” he said.

“Awfully kind of you dear,” Sheila winked, “Come on Mila we need to go pay.”

Sheila started walking and Mila went to follow, “To be continued,” she said quietly to FP, leaving him to wonder just how much he, as Norman put it, had stepped in already.

~~~

By the time Mila got home, she figured it was better if she stayed inside while FP was here. She didn’t really know what she had been thinking earlier, but he just challenged her in a way that made her fight, rather than flight, instincts kick in. She supposed he had some sort of allure. He was older, dangerous, and more interesting than the rest of this town put together. Maybe thats what it was, maybe it was just boredom. That made her feel better, she could find other ways to cope with boredom. 

She knew he was here when Sheila went outside to greet him, and get him started on the car in the garage. Mila stayed still on the couch, flicking through random channels and trying not to think about the man outside. 

FP was doing the same. When Sheila had come out, his eyes kept flickering to the front door, waiting for another face to make an appearance. When he started working on the car it helped, but his mind kept wandering back to the person he knew was inside. Even though Joaquin hadn’t said it exactly, he had gotten the distinct impression he was to stay away from her. He wouldn’t be happy to find him in her garage.

Mila was still flicking through channels about half an hour after FP had arrived. Sheila called out to her from another room, “Give the man some ice tea Mila, he's working his ass off.”

At first Mila cringed about her grandmother using the word ass, then realised that what she had asked of her meant she had to go see him. 

“Can’t you do it?” she answered back hopefully, knowing fully well her grandmother wouldn’t like her tone one bit.

“Nice try,” Sheila said. And Mila was grateful that Sheila couldn’t see her face. 

Mila fetched the ice tea from the fridge, one of the very few things her grandmother could make, and poured a glass. 

She walked to the front door, cursed, and opened it, making her way to the garage. She supposed Sheila didn’t mind if he fixed it in there because there were so many paint stains form when she had painted in here, that a coupe of oil stains wouldn’t make a difference.

Mila saw FP under the car, his upper half fully covered, and thought she could set the cup down and make a break for it. 

As she did FP said, “Oh great, can you pass me the wrench Sheila?”

Mila grabbed the wrench from the tool box, and passed it to the hand he had stuck out from underneath the car. 

“Thanks. So uh- how’s your granddaughter settling in?”

Mila was surprised he was asking. She tried to make her voice sound older, “Fine.” She held in a cough.

“Good. She seems like a bit of a troublemaker.”

Mila couldn’t help herself, “Excuse me?”

FP rolled out from under the car, “Oh, it’s you.”

Mila would have answered him, but in that moment he had revealed he was not wearing a shirt, and let’s just say her grandmother would have no argument against painting him what so ever. 

“The drug dealing gang leader just called me a troublemaker?” She finally spoke.

He sat up and leant against the car, “If the shoe fits.”

“Well it’s probably your shoe,” she replied. 

“Joaquin was right, you are just like your grandmother.” FP shook his head, as if that wasn't a good thing.

“I take that as a compliment,” Mila huffed.

“You can take it however you want,” FP dismissed. 

Mila sat down. As angry as he made her, he was more entertaining than tv. 

He gave her a quizzical look. “What? I’m bored,” she shrugged.

He laughed, “Yeah I suppose a city girl like you must not find Riverdale very interesting.”

“Are you kidding? With all the guns and the intrigue… feels just like home,” she smirked back.

“You’re never going to let me live that down,” he said, his eyes amused.

“Not in this lifetime,” she gave a small smile. 

“Look we have a mutual friend,” Mila continued, “For his sake I think it’s best if we don’t kill each other.”

“I don’t know why you think I’m always trying to kill you,” FP joked, silently agreeing to her terms.

“I guess I have that effect on people.”

FP eyes blazed as he returned her look, “I guess you do.” He stayed a few more seconds before jumping up and shaking himself, “Let’s see if this thing turns on.”

He confused Mila sometimes. It was like he enjoyed talking to her, but that it was a dangerous thing he shouldn’t be doing. If anything, she should be the one who felt in danger. 

He went to the drivers seat, and plugged the keys in, turning them with a prayer. The engine sputtered and didn’t turn on.

“Shit,” FP muttered, not realising Mila had come to stand next to him.

“It’s the carburetor,” she said. 

He looked at her and frowned, “What?”

“The carburetor,” she said slowly, as if he was an idiot, “Can’t you hear it?”

“You know about cars?” FP asked. This girl was full of surprises, first the darts, now this. He remembered what Norman had said, how she had seemed like one of them. Joaquin wasn’t the only one now beginning to question her past.

Mila did know about cars, they were a part of the reason she had been in more than your average amount of trouble. She ignored his words and looked under the hood, which had already been lifted. She grabbed a tool and pulled the air cleaner off, so that the carburetor was visible. He quietly watched her work as she proceeded to pull out vacuum hoses, unscrew the fuel line, and pull off connectors until she had finally gotten the carburetor free.

She handed it to FP, whose gaze she had felt heavy on her the entire time. 

“Why didn’t you just fix the car?” His voice was quiet.

“Nobody asked,” Mila shrugged. But she was showing him something. Letting him know that she had secrets of her own, and that he didn’t need to worry about scaring her.

She met his eyes with equal boldness. He was searching into hers as if he could pull the secrets from them. He started to say something, but heard Sheila call for her from inside the house. Mila gave him a small smile and turned to head inside, FP watched her go.

She ignited something he hadn’t felt in a long time. She challenged him, provoked him, and scared the living daylights out of him. 

He spent the rest of the afternoon silently fixing the carburetor and making sure the engine started. He packed up his tools, and left without saying goodbye. He got into his car and began his drive home, all the while thinking about how much he wanted to see Mila again. And how much that should seriously not happen.


	10. The Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all, you would not BELIEVE the week i have had. but here is a chapter, and its actually my longest yet ahaha:) but i am loving all the messages and support..and once again feel free to message me on my tumblr abrokefangirl x
> 
> hope you forgive me for being so long :)

Most people who knew FP wouldn’t have called him a caring man. He wouldn’t call himself that either. Jughead was the caring one. And it was for that reason that FP hung onto the hope that one day, he and his son would reconcile. Because Jughead was a son he didn’t deserve, and the day Jughead finally trusted him was the day he would consider himself a worthy man. 

He knew Jughead liked routine. He would go to school, work at the drive in, eat dinner at Pop’s and go crash… wherever he was crashing at that point. FP hadn’t checked in on him since the start of summer.

So that was the reason he found himself at Pop’s that night. He was hoping for a glimpse of Jughead in his regular booth, but when that didn’t happen, he decided to come in and have a meal for himself. If only to wait and see if Jughead showed up.

FP had sat in a booth further back, watching the patrons and barely touching the fries he had ordered. 

He knew immediately who had walked in when the door to the diner opened. His body was aware of her before he was. She was just one of those people, the kind you noticed when they entered a room. He watched her as she went to order food, debating in his head whether he could go up and talk to her. 

He had learnt a bit about her yesterday. Not nearly enough, not as much as he wanted to know. But she had shown him she was capable. Hell, she had shown him that the night they had met. He didn’t know what he wanted, all he knew was that every time he saw her and they parted he was always left unsatisfied. 

So he was torn. He wanted to speak to her, but he’d already been around her too much and Joaquin wouldn’t like it one bit. Nobody would really. 

He could make it look like an accident. Joaquin couldn’t be mad about an accident. And Sheila inviting him to fix her car hadn’t been his fault. Technically he had done nothing wrong. 

He was deep in his thoughts until he realised she was leaving. She was obviously taking her food to go. Without even thinking he found himself standing up and following her as she walked out the door. If he had seen someone acting the way he was right now, he would call them a fool. He shook his head at himself as he walked out of Pop’s. If he turned down the street parallel to the one she was walking, he could turn onto it and walk into her. 

God what was he doing? He had never followed a girl before, not even in high school, and now he was tracking her for the third time! It was like he had no control over his body. Even as he internally battled with himself, his body kept moving of its own accord. 

He was close to running into her, if he had calculated correctly. He absentmindedly ran a hand through his hair. If only the serpents could see him now, they would mock him mercilessly. 

He continued down the street, successfully convincing and unconvincing him self to turn back 3 times. He was almost about to reach her, he just had to turn the corner. 

He paused, once again questioning his reason for doing this. He took a deep breath, and god help him, he turned the corner. 

 

~~~~

FP was the farthest thing from Mila’s mind, until he literally crashed back into it and her. It took the wind out of her, for a brief second she thought she was being attacked. Luckily she hadn’t dropped the food, but when she looked at the culprit her heart dropped instead. It wasn’t like she had been trying not to think about him, but she had been glad she’d seemingly had the willpower to not drool over attractive men all day.

She stepped back as he righted himself, and she did the same. 

“Are you ok?” she asked. He was looking at her strangely, like he couldn’t believe she was there. 

“Fine.”

He was obviously in a strange mood. Mila wondered what had caused it. They stood for a second, neither knowing what to say.

“Are you going to Pop’s?” Mila finally settled on. 

“Yes.”

“Well I guess even a drug dealer has got to eat,” she joked. 

She didn’t know how, but it seemed to make the tension go away. He traded his look for a smirk that looked a lot more comfortable on his face.

“And apparently so do saviours.” He gestured to her bag of food. 

“Nice to see you finally admit it,” she said. 

He honestly didn’t know what he had been thinking, this was not going well at all. Another silence fell on them, until FP was the one to break it that time. 

“Is the car working ok?”

“Yeah,” Mila smiled, “Sheila says you saved her knees. She was getting sore walking every where.”

“Well, she’s welcome,” FP said. 

“I was thinking that-“

“I actually have to-“

“Sorry,” they both said. Man this was weird. Mila had liked FP because they could converse so easily, but this whole conversation was awkward. His funny look was back, and if she didn’t know any better, she would think he was nervous. 

“You go,” he said.

“OK. Joaquin actually invited me to the drive-in on Friday. He says that’s where you all hang out sometimes.”

“We do.” 

“Well, is that ok?” Mila didn’t really know why she was asking his permission.

“Fine.” Little did she know, he was trying not to look too pleased. 

“Are you sure you won’t be scared?” he added. 

She laughed, “I’ll manage.”

“Norman will be happy to see you. He’s been singing your praises since you met.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I liked him,” she said. And she had. In fact he reminded her a little of Sheila.

She paused before continuing, “Ok well I better get-“

“Do you want to take a look at my engine?” FP interrupted her. He could have hit himself. 

“What?” Mila asked. Was he trying to stop her from leaving?

“You like cars right?” FP tried to look like he wasn’t bothered. “I just got a new engine put in. I’m parked down the street.” FP didn’t know what he was thinking. As if this conversation wasn’t already strange enough. 

“Sure.” 

FP looked at her surprised, “It’s- uh it’s this way.” He started walking without looking back, and she was happy enough to follow him to his car. It was hard to see details in the dark, but the street lamps provided enough light to see him. 

Mila didn’t really know why she didn’t just go home. She was actually supposed to be picking up the food for her and Sheila’s dinner. Sheila wouldn’t be mad, but she’d be wondering where Mila was. 

Still, Mila was walking with FP to his car. She was just being polite right? This was neighbourly for sure, and if she knew Riverdale, they were all about being friendly. Maybe this town is changing me, she laughed to herself.

Both were silent as they made the walk down the street. The breeze picked up and FP was hit with a waft of her hair. His body tingled as he tried to put it out of his mind. She, on the other hand, was busy trying not to look at him. There was no telling what she would do. She was the brave one, always the instigator because guys were too intimidated to make the first move. But that’s not what is happening here, she reminded herself. 

She didn’t even really know much about him. Maybe he had a wife. She should ask.

“So, are you married?” Her tone made it sound like she was just making small talk. 

“Separated.”

She sensed that maybe she shouldn’t have brought it up, so she joked, “Aren’t you going to ask me if I’m married?”

He gave a small smile, “What happened? Did the poor guy realise you have a dark past?”

“What makes you think I have a dark past?”

“Because I think you and I are the same.” He said it quietly, Mila almost didn’t catch it.

She raised her eyebrow, “Oh?”

He stopped walking and turned to face her. Her heart picked up a little. Apparently this was going to be a moment. One of those moments where you learn something about the other person that you aren’t likely to forget. The last thing she had expected today was to have a moment with FP. But she didn’t know if she was ready for it. She hadn’t talked about what happened in New York to anyone, not even Sheila. And now here FP was, practically a stranger, and a gang leader at that. He seemed to be good at making her forget who he was. 

She panicked, “Are you hungry?”

“What?” FP frowned. 

She pushed the bag of food in front of him, “We should eat.”

“You’re not getting off that easily Gallagher,” he laughed. He took the bag and went to sit on the bench that was nearby along the street. She watched as he opened the bag and starting browsing at the contents.

“No I don’t suppose I am,” she said to herself, as she went to sit next to the man on the bench. 

~~~

They had been sitting and talking for a good hour at least. If Mila had thought it was dark before, they were surrounded by it now. They were under a street lamp and the only other light was from the moon.

She was having fun. He was funny. Half the time they talked about meaningless things, but it was way they sparred back and forth that made the conversation interesting. They had stayed on lighter topics, she had been careful to make sure of that. The only downer was when Joaquin would pop into her mind and give her a disapproving look. 

As they spoke, Mila thought about the kind woman FP’s wife had been. The thought of him being married to someone else made her uneasy. Had she been pretty? Tall? Smart? He would need someone smart. Even though he tried to hide it, she could see his intelligence. Where most would see a thug, she saw a man who was making the best out of his situation. She wanted to ask more about him, but that would mean starting a conversation that could lead to some dangerous revelations. He was clearly interested in her past. She shouldn’t have shown him that she knew about cars, that seemed to have been the thing that triggered it. Or maybe it was even the night they met. The way she had calmly stepped in to a life-threatening situation.

They had finished the meal, which had only been lukewarm once they had gotten to it. Neither had made any inclination to leave, and frankly Mila had even forgot what is was they were talking about, her mind was so heavy with questions.

She decided to just come out with it, “What happened? With your wife.”

He looked like he had been expecting her words, “I don’t want to bore you.”

“No it’s ok. I want to know,” she said. And once again the curse of not being able to say no to Gallagher ran its head as he sighed and began to tell his story.

“I made some bad choices. Even though I was doing it for my family, it was a path I think she couldn’t follow.” He looked down. “I wasn’t a good husband. She didn’t approve of… well you know.” He gestured to his jacket. 

“Because of the serpents?” she asked softly.

“Partly.” He nodded and looked at her. “I think in the end… there wasn’t any… any-“

“Passion?”

His gaze felt even heavier, “Yeah. It wasn’t passionate.” He couldn’t believe he was telling her this. He never spoke of his wife, not to any of the serpents and only rarely to Jughead when he asked. He had just told her something extremely personal. The atmosphere around them was electric. It always was, but he had never noticed it so clearly until now. 

He was taken aback when she spoke, “I guess it’s my turn.” She smiled gingerly.

He nodded, not wanting to spook her and damn near desperate to learn something else about her. 

“You and Joaquin have probably figured out I was in some trouble back in New York.” She gave a small laugh. “That’s kind of the reason I’m here.”

She seemed hesitant to tell him more, so FP stayed silent.

“It was a way to make money. At the time we needed it. But I got caught, and the police got involved. And so my dad sent me here.”

“What did you do?” he asked. 

“I used to uh- help these guys steal cars. It was a sort of group, like the serpents I guess. We would sell the parts.” She glanced at him, as if she was expecting the scolding she had gotten from every single person in her life who knew what she had done. But he looked at her as if he understood what it meant to be desperate. 

“So that’s how you know what a carburetor is?” He had a twinkle in his eye. He was trying to lighten the mood, for which she as grateful.

“Guilty,” she smiled. 

She turned serious again for a second, and he watched her carefully.

“It was for my family.” It was her turn to give him an intense look. “You were right when you said we were the same.”

He held his breath, and searched her face for any sort of mockery or judgement. But she was being sincere. She truly understood him. Why he did what he did. It was a strange feeling to have someone really get you. And he couldn’t believe it was from the girl sitting next to him. 

He hadn’t realised how close they were now sitting. Neither of their gazes had wavered since she had last spoke. He glanced at her lips absentmindedly, a look she didn’t notice. 

He instinctively leaned forward, and she didn’t try to move away. He moved so slowly, as if to give her an out. An out to not go down this road with him. A road he himself was already on, now that he finally admitted it. He realised he had been on it since the moment she had saved his life. 

He gently rested his forehead on hers, both of them looking down as he took her hand. He stroke it with his thumbs, and neither of them moved. He swallowed, not knowing what it was he wanted. Well actually, he knew what he wanted, it was more a question of her. 

Mila herself was frozen in place. All she could do was stare at their hands. The weight of his forehead seemed to steady her. She wasn’t nervous, but she was… concerned. She had just unveiled a lot of herself to him. She didn’t think she had ever felt so vulnerable. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like you.” She heard him say. And it scared her. It scared her to think somebody wanted her. She’d been wanted before, by boys who looked and only saw her beauty. But this was different. She didn’t know why, but it was. 

Their attraction was obvious. It probably had been from the start. But this right here, even the simple touches they were exchanging, it lit her whole body on fire. But she didn't want to get burned. 

She didn’t know if she was thankful or disappointed when her phone buzzed. She quickly moved back, and pulled her phone out of her pocket. FP hadn’t moved from where their forehead’s had met. 

The message was from Sheila of course, wondering where she was. 

“I have to go,” she said hurriedly. And at this point she really wanted to. She wanted to get out of there. She stood up and looked as FP slowly pulled himself back, and turned is head up to her. 

She didn’t look at his eyes. She didn’t want to see what was in them. Disappointment, lust, confusion… she just didn’t want to know.

She mumbled a ‘sorry’ and walked briskly out of the light from the street lamp, embracing the darkness and the concealment it allowed her. 

She thought she heard him call out for her, but she was too far gone and refused to look back. She knew the walk back to her house wasn’t long, but time seemed to be stuck and her mind was the same. Her heart was pumping, and she realised she hadn’t even answered Sheila’s message. She’d just run out the situation. 

If only her father could see her now. God she was so predictable. She moved from one criminal gang to the other. She was never going to learn her lesson. If he knew what she had almost done, he would pull her from Riverdale in an instant. 

What had she almost done? She didn’t know it herself. She hadn’t kissed him, even though in the back of her mind she really wanted to. Really a handhold was rather innocent, yet it had shaken her up more than any other contact had in her life. To be honest he should have taken more advantage when he had the chance because she wasn’t going to let this happen again. She hoped they would stop bumping into each other after she had just practically fallen at his feet. Well not really, he had initiated it, but damn if she hadn’t been receptive. 

She reached her house, and gratefully opened the front door, ready to crash in her bed and try to put him out of her mind. Sheila called to her from the living room, and Mila silently cursed as she went in to greet her. 

Her grandmother looked her up and down, “Where’s the food?”

Where’s the-? Oh crap, Mila thought. 

“I’m sorry, I forgot,” she said vaguely. She hoped Sheila wouldn’t ask questions.

“Are you ok?” Her grandmother asked. 

“I’m fine Grandma. I just want to go to bed.”

She was fortunate to have such an understanding grandmother, “Whatever it is my love, it will look better in the morning.”

Mila gave Sheila a small smile, “Thank you.”

When Mila finally settled in to bed, her mind couldn’t help but turn over the events of the night. And one think that stuck out in her mind, was that FP hadn’t even shown her his engine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you haven't already realised.. i like a slow burn ;) but not too slow, i would say we are up to a simmer pretty soon xx


	11. The Drive-In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my exams are finally over! I have 6 weeks of bliss to write to my heart's content :)
> 
> everyone is being so nice, and commenting such awesome things that i invite you to be mean to me for making you wait this long ;)
> 
> as usual my tumblr is abrokefangirl for any questions or requests or general comments for this fic, enjoy xx

To say Mila was nervous about going to the drive-in was an understatement. Friday had come way too quickly and she couldn’t bare to cancel on Joaquin. Not after she had avoided him when the whole drug deal incident occurred. Plus he seemed genuinely excited for her to meet more of the Serpents. But she wasn't going to talk to FP, she decided. She would say hello if it came to that, but she was not going to seek him out. Under any circumstances. Worst come to worst, she would use Norman as a distraction. He would probably be good at that.

Joaquin had no idea what had happened between FP and Mila, or at least, she didn’t think he did. He behaved as he normally would. He was at her house helping Sheila move a cabinet as Mila got ready in her room for the night out. Her and Joaquin had been together all afternoon and she was thankful for the break, as the closer it got to leaving for the drive-in, the more anxious she became. She hoped she was hiding it well. 

Her grandmother had been able to tell something was wrong the past few days. She didn’t ask any questions, but Mila often found her giving her pointed looks as if to say she was waiting for when Mila was ready to talk about it. Mila was ignoring those looks. 

Before she thought about cancelling for the tenth time, Mila remembered the other reason she wanted to go. She wanted to see if she could find anything out about Jason and what his business with the Serpents was. She felt she owed it to Polly to find out, that is, if Polly didn’t already know. She didn’t know why, but she felt protective over her. It was a rare thing for someone to be so innocent, and if Mila could, she would keep it that way for as long as possible.

Joaquin came into her room and Mila turned from the mirror she had been looking into. 

“Finished?” she asked.

“The boss said so,” he grinned back, his excitement had put him in a better mood. 

“Careful. Knowing Sheila she was only getting you to move it so she could look at your muscles. You might be her new muse.”

“I should be so lucky,” Joaquin joked, and went to sit on the end of Mila’s bed. 

Mila turned back to the mirror and continued putting on the mascara she had started.

“You know I was thinking that this might be a chance for you to get to know FP better,” Joaquin said.

Mila was startled and froze her hand mid-air, “Why? I thought you wanted him to stay away from me.”

“I know I said that. But now that everything is cleared up- I suppose it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for you two to be friends.”

“Why the sudden change of heart?” she asked, wondering if FP had told him what had happened and made Joaquin try to speak to her. 

“It’s only that you’re both important to me. And since you aren’t scared of the Serpents, I was just hoping that you would see them as my family.” 

Poor Joaquin, he was being so sincere that Mila’s heart broke a little. She would be polite of course, but there was no way she was spending more time with FP the was necessary. 

“I guess we’ll have to see,” she settled on. 

“You know, I have the feeling that you two will get on,” he speculated. 

“Not too well I hope,” she muttered to herself, and continued her actions in the mirror.

It was another twenty minutes before they left the house and got into Joaquin’s car. Mila didn’t want to bring Jason up, but she was curious if Joaquin knew anything about it. 

She decided to test the waters, “So, how is Norman?” Not what she wanted to know, but a good start. 

“As Norman as ever,” Joaquin laughed. 

“Good, good,” she sad nonchalantly before pausing, “And Jason?”

“Jason?” Joaquin frowned, “Why do you ask?’

Mila didn’t look at him, she just kept looking through the front car window, “Only because he was at the bar the other night. I wondered if you were friends.”

“No, not really.”

Mila glanced at him, “But FP knows him?”

Joaquin returned her glance, “Why do you say that?”

“Because he left to speak to him. When you found us at the bar, remember?”

“Oh, he told me about that. He said he went to tell him to leave. A lot of high school kids come to the Whyte Wyrm to get their kicks off. They want a taste of danger. FP doesn’t like that though, he doesn’t want the parents to come after them there.”

“Right,” she frowned, “Just a typical reckless teen.”

“Yeah,” he said quickly. Mila didn’t know if he was lying, or if he genuinely believed what he was saying, but she still couldn’t help but think there was more to it than that. She didn’t want to spoil Joaquin’s mood though, so she decided to try again a little later. 

The drive-in was not exactly what Mila had expected. It had the typical small town vibe, but it had a charm about it. She could easily have seen herself being really fond of it if she had grown up here. She imagined that it would have been her favourite place as a child, it was the kind of place that had a high nostalgia factor. 

They had gotten out the car and Joaquin had gone to get the tickets. She was standing, arms folded, a little out of the way. She started scuffing the dirt with her shoe. She heard a rather boisterous voice coming from behind her, and turned to smile at the man it belonged to.

“Long time no see Norman,” she laughed as he jollily walked up to her. He was with another serpent, who looked about Joaquin’s age.

“How’s my favourite hustler?” he bellowed, and reached down to hug her. It was a bone-crushing hug, but she sensed Norman was the affectionate type.

“Who’s your friend?” she asked as they broke apart, gesturing to his companion. 

“Zane. He thinks he’s God’s gift to women.” 

Mila was intrigued, “Oh?”

Zane gave a smirk an leant forward to shake her hand, “Only if you want me to be.”

She chuckled, “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Let me know when you decide the inevitable,” he replied. Mila had to give him credit, he was a very confident guy. Or rather, a cocky guy. Exactly the type of guy she had left behind in New York, but she guessed now that they were everywhere, even in small towns. 

“Alright kids, stop flirting,” Norman rolled his eyes, “Joaquin’s coming and he won’t like it one bit.”

Mila was curious at what he meant, but turned to see Joaquin who was making his way to them.

She smiled at him, “Ready?” 

He nodded and the four of them began walking into the drive-in. Mila swore she heard Zane whisper behind her, ‘You’re no fun,’ to Norman. She laughed lightly and stayed at Joaquin’s side.

As they were approaching a group of serpents she suddenly remembered why she had wanted to stay home so badly. FP was going to be here and she hadn’t the slightest idea what to say to him. Surely if she acted like nothing happened, he would do the same. And then maybe he’d get the idea that it wasn’t going to happen again. 

As if God was smiling down on her Norman decided to pipe up, “Oh by the way Joaquin, FP isn’t coming tonight.”

Joaquin turned around, “Why not?”

“Just said he was busy,” Norman shrugged, and Mila could honestly have kissed him. FP wasn’t coming? Ignoring the small feeling of disappointment she jumped straight to the relief she felt. Now she could enjoy the movie, and get on with her reconnaissance mission without worrying about a confrontation with FP. 

Joaquin looked taken aback by her big smile. “Come on,” she said, “Let’s go meet your friends.”

~~~~~

To say FP was embarrassed about what happened was an understatement. He’d acted like a school boy. He was a man, he didn’t say things like ‘I’ve never met anyone like you’. He groaned once more, as he remembered the events of that night. He had acted so foolishly, and she was so young. He wasn’t sure of the exact age, but she was at least 18 right? She looked like she was and that way she couldn’t call the cops on him. 

So here he was, skipping out on a night at the drive-in because he’d made another stupid mistake. FP was an avoider, and if he could avoid seeing her for the rest of his life then he would. Hopefully Joaquin wouldn’t make a habit of taking her to the drive-in, because then maybe he could actually leave his house.

Though he had tried to convince himself otherwise, she had been on his mind since it happened. He’d been distracted these past few days. If the Serpents had noticed, they hadn’t said anything, but Joaquin had given him a few strange looks. When he closed his eyes, Mila, when he saw the end of his glass after a drink, Mila, when he was alone with nothing to do as he was right now, Mila. He was sick, sick with puppy love which was unacceptable for a man like him. 

Maybe it would be best if he had something to do. Maybe he should go to the drive-in? There was a chance she had cancelled since she thought he was going to be there, and even if she hadn't it shouldn't be that hard to avoid her. Surely she would want the same thing. Why was he making such a fuss? Nothing happened, and he could just play it off like that. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea. Maybe it would be better to rip off the band-aid now when she was in his territory, than have another run in at the grocery store with Sheila present. Sheila, he groaned, who would smack him sideways if she knew what he wanted to do to her granddaughter. 

Before he thought too much about it he grabbed his keys and headed out the door. Checking his watch, he realised half the movie had already played and sighed. But still, its not like anyone would question why he was there, they all expected him anyway. 

He jumped in his car and began the journey to the drive-in. He knew Jughead wasn’t working tonight, so that wouldn’t be a problem. Though, he was ashamed he hadn’t been thinking about him as much as usual. Only because a certain someone had been occupying his mind. He was a shitty father, he knew that, and shook his head at himself as he continued his drive.

The Serpents would been their usual spot, at the back where it was darkest. It was also the only place where the folks of Riverdale would tolerate them. God forbid they mingle with the rest of the town, it was better to separate themselves. 

After buying his ticket he walked towards his group from the side, so not to alert anyone to his presence just yet. He wanted to scope out the crowd, and see where Mila was, only so he could avoid her. 

He blinked when he saw Zane and Mila in chairs next to each other. They were leaning over and talking, and FP could see the intentions Zane had on his face. His blood ran hot and all plans of avoiding Mila went out the window. 

Zane, the stupid punk, would flirt with any woman that moved. And he usually got his way since he’d been blessed with a handsome face and a charming smile. The thought of Mila falling for it made FP unjustifiably angry. She was smarter than that, he knew, but she was a wildcard and perhaps wouldn’t be against Zane’s advances. 

FP couldn’t believe it, but he was, honest to God, about to storm over there and interrupt them. He was saved from another embarrassing interaction however, when Mila stood up and walked away. It looked like she was heading for the snack bar, but she would need to pass a dark area with plenty of trees before she got there. Before FP talked himself out of it, and for the fourth time in his life, he followed her. 

~~~~

Mila hadn’t had much chance to ask anyone about Jason, but she had to admit she was having a good time. The Serpents had been welcoming and most remembered her from the night at the bar. It seemed like she had already proved herself, and thank God she did, otherwise this night would have been a lot harder. She got a sense the Serpents were a very close bunch, and very protective of each other. 

The movie wasn’t the best and Mila found her mind wandering. She recalled what Norman had said about Joaquin earlier, and turned to Zane, who was in the chair next to her, to ask him about it.

“Hey Zane,” she whispered for his attention, and he raptly gave it to her, “What did Norman mean about Joaquin not liking me flirting?”

Zane paused for a moment, and then spoke, “Oh. He sort of, warned everyone away from you. He said that if we tried anything that he would- well, I don’t want to say it in front of a lady.” 

Rather than be mad, Mila had to say that she was a little grateful. There were a good deal of Serpents here. A whole lot of testosterone and a little bit of Mila wasn't the best mix. To their credit, they had all behaved really well. She didn’t know how much off that was Joaquin’s warning and how much of it was just the being as polite as a criminal gang could be. There were a couple guys in particular who she liked so far, an older man named King, and a younger guy named Dean. 

King was pretty no nonsense, very stoic and without meaning to be, hilarious. Mila was pretty sure Dean was King’s son due to an uncanny resemblance, and the pair of them together made Mila laugh. Dean was a little juvenile, so King was constantly ‘whipping him into shape’, as her grandmother would say. 

“And are you going to heed his warning?” Mila asked, turning back to her conversation with Zane.

“Absolutely not,” he grinned at her, and Mila chuckled.

“Well sorry Romeo, but I’m going to go get some food,” she said, standing up.

“Do you want me to join you?” he asked, hopefully.

Mila repeated his words, “Absolutely not.” She walked off, laughing at Zane’s shameless flirting.

Getting to the snack bar was a little tricky. It was very dark, and Mila found herself wishing that maybe she had accepted Zane’s company after all. Why did the Serpents have to sit right at the back next to the woody area, she sighed. She braced herself before beginning the short walk.

Before she’d really made it anywhere, somebody grabbed her and pulled her behind a tree. Oh no, she thought, and was preparing to kick who ever it was right in the nutcracker as they roughly pushed her back against the tree.

With what limited light there was, she saw briefly that FP was the culprit, and was about to yell at him before he crashed his lips onto hers. 

He wove his hands into her hair as if he couldn’t stop himself. She was about to protest, but he whispered into hers ‘please’ and his mouth caressed hers into silence. She remembered how close they had been to this a few nights ago, and right now started to question why they hadn’t done this sooner.

One hand stayed in her hair, while the other slid around her waist and pulled her even closer until she felt their hips kneading into each other. This was so different to the other night. That had been slow and unsure, and this was desperate and heavy and she found herself wondering why here and why now. 

His tongue melted into hers and she gasped at this new sensation. She kissed many boys before, but this was different. It was rough and exciting. He moved his hand from her waist to the crook of her jaw and pushed his tongue even deeper inside of her. 

She could feel the heat between their hips as he brushed her hair off her neck and moved his mouth to suck the sweet skin where her neck met her shoulder. Before he could claim her lips again she wanted to have her own fun and moved to bite his earlobe. He gave a breathy groan, and she found herself thinking once again about the change that was occurring between them. 

He was thinking the same thing. He liked this a lot better, liked that he was able to touch her rather than the tease they had shared previously. As she made work on his ear and neck, he inhaled her hair and had to stop himself from shaking. Half from the way she was undoing him and the other from his annoyance at seeing Zane speak to her. His anger begun creeping up again so he claimed her lips with his.

She wanted to damn all reason, but her mind thought back to Joaquin who was sitting innocently at the drive-in. 

“Wait-“ she began to whisper, but he didn’t let up and continued kissing her plump lips. 

He started to move his knee in between her hips, and at that her guilt reared it’s ugly head as she knew she was doing the one thing that, perhaps, Joaquin would never forgive her for. 

She pushed him back, “Stop, stop.”

His eyes were filled with craving and excitement, but as he saw her expression they slowly leaked out, being replaced by his own guilt. Had he misread things? He had certainly crossed boundaries, he knew that much, but he thought she had wanted it as much as him after her eagerness over his kiss. 

Mila put a cautionary hand up between them, more for her sake than his. 

They were both panting and her breathing interrupted her words as she spoke, “I am going- to get some popcorn. You- you go see the others. Don’t tell anyone you saw me.”

He nodded, biting back his urge to simply take her to his bed and have his way with her. She was right though, they should go to the others. 

Both Mila and FP had questions in their eyes, as if they didn’t know what to make of was just happened. Was it a mistake? Was it going to happen again? God he hoped it did, even though he knew he shouldn’t.

“Ok,” she said simply and began to walk away, finishing her almost forgotten journey to the snack stand. He watched after her and shook his head, as he went to join the Serpents and pretend like he hadn’t just kissed the woman who had clouded his thoughts all week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmmmmm. wooooowwwww. hhhuuuhhhh. what to do what to do. interessssting.


	12. The Realisation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TA DA!

Mila was careful not to look at him for the rest of the night, though she cheated a few times. And she had the impression that he did too.

She took back her place next to Zane, with Joaquin on the other side, who was glad to have some snacks for the movie. She felt FP behind her standing with some of the older members, so it was easy enough to pretend she hadn’t seen him, she just stared straight ahead and watched the movie.

Joaquin asked her if she was alright at one point, and she answered with a mute nod. But that made her guilt even worse. Sometimes he was too nice for his own good.

Leaving was the challenge. Most of the Serpents wanted to go back to the bar, Joaquin included. Zane too, but he was more eager for her to come with them.

“Don’t tell me you’re a quitter Gallagher,” he laughed.

“I’m not I promise, it’s just-“

“What’s that I hear? Mila’s doesn’t want to join the boys? Insanity! She’s coming with me!” Norman shouted, loudly enough that the other patrons of the drive-in looked over annoyed. Even though the movie had ended they obviously still didn’t enjoy any disruption from the ‘bad’ side of town.

Norman beamed his way over to her, “You are coming, aren’t you princess?” He mockingly batted his eyelids.

She looked to Joaquin for guidance. He raised an eyebrow, saying it was up to her, but she could see on his face that he really wanted to go. He knew how much she liked going out, he would think something was upsetting her if she didn’t come. Anyway, what where the chances FP could corner her in and bar full of drunk serpents? Hopefully very small.

“You can ride on my bike Mila!” Norman said excitedly. 

She felt FP before she saw him. He walked up from behind her, “I think Mila wants to go home boys. I’ll take her.”

Well that did it. She was definitely going to the bar, “You know what Norman, I’ll take that ride.” She quickly head over to the carpark, Norman following closely behind her. 

“I’ll see you there,” she called to Joaquin, and left him and FP trailing behind her.

She didn’t dare try to catch FP’s eye, and hopped onto Norman’s bike after he gave her a helmet. It was pink, and very faded.

“This for your lady friends Norman?” she teased. 

“Only the pretty ones,” he answered, and started his bike just as Mila sat down.

“You’re in for one hell of a ride,” he laughed, causing Mila to say a prayer before Norman sped her off into the night.

~~~

The bar was packed when they got there. Not just with the Serpents, but with some townies and more people who were visiting Riverdale.

Mila was optimistic she could avoid FP for the rest of the night, otherwise she may do something she regretted. That had been one hell of a kiss. 

Norman immediately led her to the bar and ordered a round of drinks. His cheeks were rosy from the cold, and then from the alcohol as he downed more drinks to ‘catch up’ to the people who were already here. Mila only stuck with one so far, she needed to be as sharp as possible if she was going to get through the night. 

Joaquin was there within five minutes of her arrival, so she happily talked with him and he suggested a round of pool. 

“Not darts?” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

Joaquin laughed, “No way.”

The pair of them made their way to a table. She hadn't seen any sign of FP yet, but she was sure to keep her back to the wall so that he couldn’t sneak up on her. 

They began the game and Joaquin hit the first ball in. “I hope the ride with Norman wasn’t too rough.”

“On the contrary, he certainly knows how to make a woman comfortable,” she joked.

“You didn’t have to tell me that,” Joaquin groaned, and Mila laughed at his expression. 

“Speak of the devil,” she said, as they both heard Norman bolstering up to them.

“Let’s play doubles,” he cheered, looking very much like a drunk Santa Claus. She didn’t know how he did it each night, as Joaquin had assured her he did. It was nice to see his youth hadn’t left him, but there was also the matter of his health.

“We already started, and we don’t have a fourth,” Joaquin said.

“Come on, we’re only one ball in. It shouldn't be that hard to find someone else,” Mila replied.

Joaquin nodded, “I guess you’re right. But you’re having the drunk lout on your team.”

“Why? Afraid you can’t beat me?”

Norman looked hurt, “I’m right here you know.”

“Trust me we know,” Mila laughed, just before Joaquin shouted out, “FP over here! We need another player.”

Well, she really walked into that one. She only had herself to blame there. ‘It shouldn’t be that hard to find someone else’ she mimicked her words under her breath. She didn’t look as FP made his way over. 

He was silent as Joaquin handed him a pool cue and made brief eye contact with Mila before she looked away. 

Norman was busy lining up his shot, “Losers have to buy winners drinks.”

“Trust me, we aren’t going to lose now that FP’s playing,” Joaquin boasted.

Mila couldn’t resist the urge, “Really?” She directed her question to Joaquin more than FP, but FP was the one to answer.

“Really,” he said as he immediately hit a ball straight into the farthest hole.

The rest of the game was similar. Mila would avoid FP’s eyes, Joaquin would chat obliviously, and Norman gave suspicious looks between all three of them. It was obvious from the beginning that Joaquin and FP would win. Norman stumbled around with the pool cue, and Mila just didn’t have the prowess for pool that she did with darts. At one point Zane stuck his head in, complimenting Mila and even offering to show her how to ‘hold the pool cue’, which she had been holding just fine for the last twenty minutes. Before Mila even rejected his offer, FP had told Zane that there was a task for him upstairs and Zane had shrugged and left the game for them to finish. 

When FP sunk the last shot in he looked at Mila, “You gonna buy me that drink?”

He was challenging her, as he often seemed to. She knew the second she went with him he would corner her and- what? Repeat what had happened earlier? Talk about it? She had no idea how he was feeling about it now that they both had a chance to cool off. 

Norman, who perhaps was a lot more sober than he let on, sensed the shift between them. “Come on Joaquin, lets go get the drinks.”

Joaquin didn’t think much of it, and followed Norman to the bar. Mila tried to make eye contact, and beg him not to leave her alone, and upon realising that she was stuck with FP she turned to him slowly.

“So,” she started, sighing at the inevitable awkwardness.

“Come,” he said, and walked off in the opposite direction to the bar. He seemed to be narcissistic enough to expect her to follow him, to the point that he didn’t even look back to check she was. It angered Mila, but she obliged anyway, determined to be over this conversation as quickly as possible. 

He led her to a door, and both of them slipped through it. Mila found herself in a small supply closet.

Not bothering to question whether they should be allowed in here, she turned head on to FP to talk, “Look, I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t enjoy it.”

FP looked at her amusedly as this was not the tone he had thought the conversation would take, “Good to know.”

She could feel the smugness radiating off of him, “God you have such a big head, don’t you?” She shook her own. 

Her revelation had obviously boosted his confidence, and shaken off his doubts earlier that he had made a mistake. He stalked over to her, causing her to lean back against the wall as he lifted his arm and rested it gently above her head. 

“It can’t happen again,” she said, but he was not deterred and the smirk stayed on his face. 

“And why is that?” He drew his face nearer to hers.

“Joaquin.”

He leaned back, confused expression on his face, “What, you like him or something? Sorry to break it to you, but he doesn’t play for your team.”

She scoffed and pushed him, “Of course I know that asshole.” FP took well to the shove, if anything it seemed to make him want her even more.

She stepped away from him, “Joaquin is one of the only friends I’ve made since I moved here. It would hurt him if I started something with you.”

Mila saw her own guilt reflected in his face as he considered what she said. 

“He would get over it,” FP settled on and Mila huffed.

“Pull your brain out of your dick. He would be upset, he barely let me talk to you in the first place after what happened.”

FP was reminded of the night they met and how she had yelled at him, similarly to how she was right now. It was one of the things he liked about her, so if this was her way of pleading out then he wouldn’t let it go that easily.

He was about to argue back when she kept going, “I can’t risk losing him, he’s my friend. Plus being new in town, pleasing Sheila and starting high school, I just don’t know if I’ll have time to-“

“What did you say?” FP interrupted.

“About Sheila? That women can be hard to live with sometimes. Her cooking is poison.”

“No,” FP shook his head, “About starting high school?”

She blinked at him, and he at her. It was like a bucket of cold water had just been poured down his back.

She looked at him dumbstruck, “Oh come on.” She widened her eyes, “You had to know. Come on!”

He shook his head at her, his mouth twitching.

“Joaquin must have told you. Surely you know!”

FP’s mouth was dry, “Just how… old are you exactly?”

Mila laughed bewilderedly, “I’m 16.”

16\. She’s 16. FP’s head was spinning and his first thought was how much jail time he would get for putting a minor into all the shit he had put her through. Not just with the drug deal, but kissing her at the drive-in. 

“Did you seriously not know?” she asked.

“Do you think I would have-“ he started, but cut himself off. 

It was unfair, he said in his mind, unfair that the first woman he had been truly interested in since his wife was completely off limits. She was his son’s age for crying out loud.

“If it helps, I’m seventeen in September,” she said slowly.

FP scoffed at her feeble attempts at making him feel better, “It doesn’t help.” He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated beyond measure. 

Mila herself was almost heartened by his reaction. It was almost like the final proof she needed to see that he was a good man. He obviously didn’t want to take advantage of her, even though she knew he never had because she had wanted it just as much as he did. In this moment he was so different from the drug dealing criminal she had first met, and it almost made her sorry about the whole situation.

“Hey,” she said gently, causing him to look at her, “No harm done, okay.”

It was her attitude that made FP realise how it had been so easy to mess up. She was handling it so maturely that, even now, he still found it hard to believe she was so young. 

She figured she should leave him to it, he didn't look like he’d be able to talk for a while. She would laugh if it wasn’t such a weird situation.

“I’ll leave first,” she said, and FP watched her walk out the door to the bar.

He sighed to himself, and rubbed his hands over his face. She had been right, Joaquin would definitely be upset if he found out about the moment they shared at the drive-in. FP could barely forgive himself for being so stupid, for not checking the basic facts before diving right in with a girl he barely knew. But he hadn’t been able to help himself. She was just so- she was perfect. Perfect for him, he admitted. Until she wasn’t. 

She was his equal in every way. She matched his temper, his bravery, she had a witty mouth and a sharp mind. In fact, now that he thought about it, she was probably to good for him anyway. This was for the best. Better for it to have never amounted to anything, than for him to get hurt further down the line. Still, no matter how much FP assured himself he had dodged a bullet, he couldn't get rid of the pit of disappointment that had built up in his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> awwwwwww just a little bit sad 
> 
> tell me what you think xxx


	13. The Kid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another update for you lovely people! "so soon?" i hear you ask and yes so soon

When Mila got home that night she was exhausted. She hadn’t seen FP after their chat. She had been so distracted afterwards that not even Norman could break her out of her own mind. Zane had a few attempts, but she payed even less attention to him. Joaquin had come back with the drinks and she had gladly accepted, telling him that FP said he had some things to take care of and had left. Joaquin nodded, like that wasn’t out of the ordinary. 

She sat in her bed and sighed, wondering why the events of the night plagued her mind so much. She never thought she would be in this situation. She’d kissed the man who, for a brief moment of time, she thought had it in for her. A little part of her had seen this coming. There was an electricity between them that she had been too stubborn to admit was there. He had probably played it off too at first, but then tonight he had made a move. She didn’t know why he had done it. It could have been lust, loneliness, a million little reasons. 

She still couldn’t believe he hadn't known her age. She never particularly thought she had wanted him until that moment. She could tell he backed off because he didn’t want to hurt her, and it was only then she had finally cemented a good opinion of him. It was almost ironic, the second it was clear he would pursue her no further, was the moment she wanted him most. 

It was clear now, that nothing could happen. And though she had never really seen it as an option, she couldn’t help but feel disappointment. He understood her so well, she’d even told him her deepest secret after meeting him only a few times, that it seemed a missed opportunity to be with someone who could know her completely. She was not heart-broken, but when she slept that night she felt a hint of sadness.

It was a pity she couldn’t talk to Joaquin about it, he was the first one she wanted to turn to. Sheila either, there was no way she could tell her. Mila then remembered the only other friend she had made in town so far. She would go see Polly tomorrow. Polly wouldn’t judge her, and she would listen. Mila felt guilty she hadn’t investigated Jason’s association with the Serpents more that night, but after she talked to Polly, she could return the favour by finding out more about it. 

Settling down for the night, Mila let the silence will her to sleep.

~~~~~~

“I don’t know Polly, the whole night was just weird,” Mila told her friend. To her credit, Polly had sat and listened to Mila’s story without interrupting. Mila didn’t tell Polly about the whole ‘used to think he wanted to murder her’ thing, but managed to tell her the gist of their previous relationship.

“Do you want to be with him?” Polly asked.

Mila jolted at the question. It wasn’t like he had made a declaration of love, only a lusty kiss in the dark. Maybe all he had wanted was a fun night, she could be blowing this out of proportion.

“It doesn’t matter, it would never work.” Mila didn’t meet Polly’s eyes. 

“How do you know unless you try?” Polly prodded. Mila looked at Polly confusedly.

“Aren’t you supposed to be scolding me for kissing such an older man? I practically lied to him too, he didn’t know how old I was and I could have told him any time in the past few weeks. I don’t know why I didn’t actually.” Maybe it had just never came up, maybe a part of Mila had wanted to keep it to herself.

“I’m in no position to scold anyone,” Polly said quietly. 

“What does that mean?” Mila asked. 

“Nothing really. I just think you shouldn’t give up.”

“Give up? There is nothing to give on. I mean, it was just a kiss. It could have meant nothing.”

“But did it mean nothing Mila,” Polly gave her a look, like she could tell Mila was trying to downplay what had happened between her and FP. 

Mila paused and then laughed, “Ok smart ass. I’ll consider what you said. But lets move onto lighter topics, I’m boring myself with all this emotion. How’s Jason?”

Polly lit up, “He’s great. We’re great.”

“I’m glad. Maybe we could all hang out again.” Mila would be happy to make another friend, but a part of her was thinking she could find out more about Jason and.. well, FP.

“He would like that. I think he wants to get to know you better,” Polly smiled warmly.

“Me too,” Mila said, hoping Polly wouldn't catch her double meaning. 

~~~~~

Mila didn’t do much for the next few days. She avoided thinking about the kiss, helped Sheila at the salon, avoided thinking about the kiss, caught up on summer reading, hung out with Polly, avoided thinking about the kiss. It was calm really, the calmest few days she had since she arrived in Riverdale. She didn’t walk in on any drug deals, didn’t go to any dangerous bars, she avoided thinking about the kiss, and didn’t catch one sight of a man wearing a serpent jacket.

Joaquin came into the salon to see her. Mila was just finishing up at the till with a customer, and smiled brightly at him when he walked in. She had missed him, even if it was only for a few days. But avoiding the Serpents meant avoiding Joaquin, so it had just happened all on its own.

“How’s my baby?” she winked.

“Who, me?” Joaquin looked confused at her antics.

“No, the tat on your arm. She’d healed up nicely hasn't she.” Mila walked over to him and lifted up his sleeve to get a better look at her handy work. Well, technically it was Sheila’s handy work, but she had been the artistic creator behind it all.

“Speaking of which, have you been drawing much lately?” he asked. 

“A little, why?”

“I showed some of the boys my tattoo and they really liked them. I was thinking about showing them to FP. He’s been in a bad mood and maybe some new ink would help.”

Mila blinked, “I don’t want to mar another person Joaquin. Sheila’s more qualified.”

“It’s just a drawing, not a commitment. Maybe your a little shy huh?” He nudged her playfully and she chuckled. 

“Okay, we can have a look at some stuff later,” she said, not wanting to raise any suspicion.

Joaquin looked at her softly, “You know he’s really not as scary as he appears.” Joaquin was obviously thinking she was still wary of him after their initial introduction. As far as he was concerned, they barely knew each other.

Trust me I know, she thought to herself.

“Zane keeps asking about you,” Joaquin added, and laughed when Mila rolled her eyes. 

“Not your type?” he guessed. 

“You know, if you had asked me a few months ago, I probably would have said yes.” But now her type seemed to be older men who ran criminal organisations. 

“You’ve outgrown idiots?” he laughed.

“Not quite. Only the cocky ones,” she grinned. 

“You should tell him sooner rather than later, he seems to be quite taken with you.”

She laughed at his language, “Ok Grandpa, I’ll be sure to do that. Speaking of which, how’s the Keller kid?”

“What? How do you know about him?”

“I have my ways.” Her eyes glinted, “Have you made a move yet?”

“With the sheriff’s son?” Joaquin scoffed, “No way.”

“But you like him don’t you?” Mila realised she sounded a lot like Polly had when they had had their talk about FP.

“I… have noticed him. But it’s pointless. I’m Southside, he’s.. not.”

“Wow you guys are like Romeo and Juliet,” she teased, trying to point out that his excuse sounded a bit ridiculous.

“Maybe I should just call Zane right now and tell him you’ll go on a date with him,” Joaquin teased back, and began pulling out his phone. 

Mila made a grab for his arm, “Don’t you dare.”

~~~~~

The kid was annoying FP. FP was holding a small meeting, only a group of four, Zane and Norman included. And Zane well, he was being Zane, and while that usually never bothered FP, he found himself growing increasingly agitated.

The other two Serpents left and only Norman and Zane remained. Zane was telling Norman about his antics last night.

“I definitely had a few more than I should last night. I almost decided to head to Mila’s place. Damn that girl is fine.”

“How do you know where she lives?” Norman asked.

“She’s Sheila’s granddaughter isn’t she? Everyone knows where Sheila lives.”

Norman laughed, “Boy, if Mila didn’t immediately kick your ass when you got there, then Sheila sure would have.”

Zane frowned, “What makes you think Mila wouldn’t want me there?”

“Cause you’re a brat. Mila’s too good for a boy like you.”

Zane huffed playfully, “I’m a catch, old man.”

Both of the startled when FP spoke up, “Mila’s off limits Zane.” Even though he was sitting at his desk and the other two were standing, he still managed to sound intimidating enough that Zane raised his eyebrows.

“Come on FP, why not? She’s cool, and you can tell she’s gets a little kick out of the whole Serpent thing.”

FP remembered what Mila had told him about running with a gang before, Zane was mistaking comfort for enthusiasm. 

“Stay away from her.” Perhaps he had sounded harsher than he intended, because Zane gave him a curious look.

“Sorry, I didn’t realise.”

FP almost rolled his eyes as he gave into Zane’s theatrics, “Didn’t realise what?”

“That she was your girl,” Zane said. Of course it was completely the wrong thing to say, it only made FP’s mood worse.

“Don’t be an idiot. It’s for your sake, what do you think Joaquin would do to you if you made a real move.”

Zane almost shuddered, Joaquin could be really intimidating when he wanted to be. 

“Alright boss. I’ll keep that in mind,” Zane said, and was quick to leave the room, leaving only Norman and FP alone.

FP could tell that Norman was itching to say something, and he really wasn’t in the mood. 

“You know I had a feeling that you-“

FP interrupted him, “I have work to do Norman.”

Norman gave him a knowing look, “If you want to talk about it we can.”

“Not now,” FP snapped, and Norman lifted his hands in surrender before leaving the room. 

FP sighed once he had left, and looked at the pages in front of him. The words blurred together the more he tried to concentrate. He had been trying, unsuccessfully, not to think about her for the past few days. If Zane hadn’t been such a twit he wouldn’t have the headache he did now. But FP was determined to forget about her. The age thing had only been the catalyst that woke him up to all the reasons he shouldn’t start anything with Mila. Not only was she so young, but she had a real chance to be something in this life. He couldn’t take that away, he’d only drag her down and she be doomed to a life of skeevy bars and paranoid drug addicts. 

If anything he should encourage Zane to make a move. Maybe then it would finally click in FP’s brain that she wasn’t the one for him. The past few days had been harder than they probably should have been, he’d barely known her a month and he was ‘pining’ for something that had never happened. It had been one stupid kiss, he’s certainly gotten over worse. 

He had resigned himself to avoiding her completely. Before, he had selfishly sought her out. The night at Pop’s, when she’d come to the bar for the first time, and of course, the drive-in. But he wouldn’t allow himself to be selfish anymore. Not when they had so many obstacles between them. He didn’t know why he wanted her so badly, but he would never have her. Now, all he needed to do was let it go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was a little bit of a filler, but big things happening soon x


	14. The Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i have tweaked the story a little bit in terms of jason  
> before doing the Big Deal™ that he is supposed to do in the show, he does a couple odd jobs for FP to make more money- its not a major change but just letting you know ;)
> 
> otherwise, keep up the amazing comments, they are great motivation for someone who thrives off of positive reinforcement  
> and if you're new to the Fila family, then welcome xx
> 
> as always my tumblr is abrokefangirl for any questions, comments, or chats ;)

Mila was doing nothing in particular when the night’s events started unfolding. She was in the front garden, sitting on a bench and reading a book when she saw Polly ran up the street and into her yard. It was the evening, most would be eating dinner with their families, exactly what Polly should be doing. Instead, she was in front of Mila collapsing into tears. 

“Mila you have to help me, I don’t know what to do,” she sobbed.

Mila was completely alarmed, “What’s the matter? What happened?”

“It’s Jason,” Polly said, making Mila’s blood run cold. Dreading the worst, she waited for what Polly had to say.

“He’s been beaten up really bad. We need to do something!”

Beaten? She prayed this had nothing to do with the Serpents, though she knew it must be. Gangs always led to violence, she knew that well enough. She was angry at herself for not investigating Jason earlier, maybe she could have prevented this. 

“Where is he? We should take him to the hospital.” 

“No! No hospital,” Polly cried, “His parents will find out, we have to keep it from them.”

“Surely they would notice that their son has been beaten anyway,” Mila argued.

“You’d be surprised what he’s hidden from them. But come on, we have to go quickly.”

“Where is he?”

“Parked down the street.” Polly began pulling Mila’s hand to get her to follow. “I didn’t want anyone to see him, but I didn’t know what else to do.”

Both Polly and Mila broke out into a run. Mila’s anxiety grew as the closer they got the more Polly urged her.

“How bad is it?” Mila asked. 

“He hasn’t passed out or anything- but oh Mila he looks terrible!”

They approached a car that Mila was surprised a rich kid like Jason would be driving. There’s no way the infamous Blossom’s would let him drive down such a run-down thing. But maybe they didn't know. Add that to the list of things they don’t know about their son, Mila thought.

Polly swung the passenger door open, revealing Jason who was covered in blood. Mila hoped it was someone else’s, because it seemed too much to come from one person.

Mila calmly moved Polly out of the way and leant in front of him to inspect the damage, “Jason, can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear,” Jason choked out. Mila frowned as he did so, noticing that one of his eyes was bruising, and that a lot of the blood was coming from his nose.

She turned to Polly, “I think we have to take him to Sheila.”

“What? No!” Polly started, but Mila cut her off.

“There’s only so much I can do. Sheila was a combat medic for a while, she’ll be able to help him.” Mila had seen her fair share of blood shed, but she wasn’t about to put the fate of Jason Blossom into her own hands. 

“What if she tells someone?” Polly whispered.

Mila shrugged in answer, “That’s a risk we have to take. But if you don’t want to go to a hospital, then you’re just going to have to trust me.”

Polly gave and hesitant nod, “You drive the car closer, I’ll sit in the back.”

Mila agreed, happy that Polly was letting her drive as Polly herself was in no state. She hopped into the driver’s seat, and turned the car on with the keys that were already in the ignition. She quickly sped them up the street until they reached the front of her house, then ran to the passenger side to help Polly carry Jason. They each took an arm around their shoulder and shifted him to the front door.

“Grandma!” She called out when they entered, “Sheila, where are you?”

Mila heard her come down the stairs when she replied, “Mila, what is it my love?”

When Sheila caught sight of Jason she snapped into action, drawing from her old nurse days.

“Lay him down on the sofa girls. Mila can you grab the first aid box, it’s in the kitchen.” Sheila knelt by Jason, “Let me get a look at you dear.”

While Mila left to get the supplies, Polly adamantly stayed by Jason’s side, her sobs turned quiet as she watched Sheila assess the damage.

“Is it bad?” she asked.

Sheila’s lips were pursed, “There’s too much blood to tell just yet, but I have to make sure nothing’s broken before I bandage him. Then we should get him checked out at the hospital.”

“No Grandma, no hospital,” Mila said, as she had entered the room. 

Sheila looked at her granddaughter, “Mila if something is broken then he needs to be seen by a doctor.”

Mila didn’t want to argue with her, “Just look at him first. If nothing is broken, then no hospital.”

Sheila gave a small frown, but continued looking at Jason’s injuries. Mila gave Polly a reassuring smile and squeezed her arm as they both stood quietly, waiting to be told what to do. 

“What happened?” Sheila asked, as she gently probed Jason’s stomach to make sure no ribs were broken.

Polly was quick to speak up, “Some kids from another school. They just started a fight for no reason.”

Mila wanted to believe her, but her suspicions that Polly and Jason weren’t telling her something wouldn’t let her. She watched curiously as Polly clutched her stomach from nerves.

Sheila seemed to be in a state of disbelief too, “It doesn’t matter now, let’s just see what we have here.”

“It’s true,” Jason choked out. To be honest, Mila had forgotten he was even awake, he had just been completely silent as he let Sheila examine him. 

His nose had stopped bleeding at that point, and Sheila elevated his head and asked Mila to grab an ice pack. Once she had it she told Jason to hold it to his nose and had a look at the rest of his face.

“You’ve been very lucky my boy, the worst of it seems to be your nose. You have a slight fracture. You’ve also been hit in the head with a heavy object, do you fell dizzy at all?”

Jason gave a small shake of the head, “Just tired.”

“Yes well, that black eye is going to stay for a few days, I’m not sure how you expect to get away with that from your parents.” Sheila was too smart for her own good, she had obviously figured out that the reason Jason was here is because he didn’t want them to have to pick him up from a hospital. Mila hoped she wouldn’t say anything.

“Once the swelling goes down a bit, I’m going to set the nose and then give you some painkillers. but other than that, you should be fine.”

Polly breathed out a sigh of relief and Mila dug through the first aid box to get Sheila what she needed. It was another hour before Sheila had patched Jason up. In the end it had looked a lot worse than it was, and Mila hoped Polly’s nerves had settled, but she was still gripping her stomach tightly. She watched the two of them as Polly sat by his head, dotingly stroking the side of his cheek. Neither of them deserved the worry the night had caused, and now that Mila didn’t have to come up with a plan of action, she found herself growing increasingly angry at the situation. If it did had something to do with the Serpents, then it had something to do with FP. Joaquin had reassured her that Jason had nothing to do with them, but if he was lying then she was angry at him too. How could they let a high school be put into that situation? Mila didn’t want to jump to the worst, but her impulsiveness caused her to leap to the conclusion that this, somehow, was all FP’s fault.

Sheila had been packing up the supplies in the kitchen, but she came back into the room and took Mila by the arm. Mila had a feeling that for the first time, she was in real trouble with her grandmother. 

“Mila, what happened to that boy?” Sheila’s tone was calm and clipped, but Mila found that scarier than if she had just yelled at her.

“You heard Polly, she said some high school guys beat him up.” She avoided her grandmother’s eye.

Sheila was having none of that, “Are you lying to me Mila?”

Mila decided to be honest, “I don’t know! I wasn’t there, Polly just ran to the house crying and I brought him to you. I have no idea what happened.”

Sheila inspected her face for a moment before speaking, “If it happens again, I’m going to tell his parents.”

Mila nodded, “I wouldn’t blame you.”

Sheila gently took Mila by the chin, “Don’t get caught up in anything Mila. I may not know why your father sent you here, but don’t put yourself into another situation like that.”

“I’m not Grandma. I promise.” And she hadn’t really. Unless you counted befriending a gang as a ‘situation’.

Sheila sighed, “Does he have anywhere to stay?”

“I doubt he could stay with Polly. Her parent’s would have a field day. And I guess he can’t go home. So…”

“So he’s staying with us?” Sheila cocked an eyebrow.

“Only for a night or two,” Mila said, and her grandmother gave her a small smile.

“You’re just like your mother,” she said, and led Mila to the room that Polly and Jason were in. 

Polly stood up quickly and turned to both of them, “I have to get home, my parents are probably worrying. I was hoping that-“

Sheila cut her off, “Jason can stay with us for the night.”

Polly smiled, “Oh thank you. Thank you so much Ms. Gallagher.”

“It’s ok, sweetheart. We’ll take care of him. Try not to get into any more trouble.”

Polly nodded and Mila walked her to the front door.

“What really happened tonight Polly?” Mila asked once they were outside.

Polly didn’t budge, “I told you. It was just a fight.”

“You know you can trust me. I won’t say anything.” Mila tried to sound sincere. She really wouldn’t tell anybody, though she couldn’t promise not to try and talk Jason out of anything he might regret. She wished someone had done the same for her.

Polly gave her a blank look, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Then she hurriedly walked down the street to get home. 

Mila sighed as she watched her leave. Polly wasn’t going to tell her anything, and Jason had already fallen asleep so she wouldn’t get anything out of him either. She questioned calling Joaquin, but figured that wouldn’t do any good. She would have to go straight to the source. Mila ran inside to go grab her jacket, then began making her way to the Whyte Wyrm. If FP was responsible, he was going to get the chewing out of a lifetime. 

~~~~~~

When Mila got to the bar there was barely anyone there, only a few regulars and a couple men she had never seen before. She scanned the main room for a Serpent jacket. The only one she saw was at the bar and was worn by just the man she wanted to see. Typical, she huffed, he’s getting drunk at a bar while Jason’s sleeping off a beating. Not wanting to have it out in public, she stormed over to him, grabbed him by the jacket and began pulling him into the storeroom where they had had their previous talk. 

“Who the hell- Mila? What are you doing?” she heard him say behind her, but she just kept dragging him along. He probably could have broken out of her grip if he wanted to, but he was too startled by the intrusion.

As she pulled him to the room a few men noticed and wolf-whistled at the pair of them, probably expecting they were going to hook up in the supply room. She ignored them, not caring what they thought, it was probably better that way. Then they wouldn’t get interrupted. 

Mila slammed the door behind the pair of them and turned to FP. She didn’t even know where to start, she just glared at him until he spoke.

FP seemed to have got the wrong idea, “Look Mila, I can’t start anything with you. As much as I-“

“That’s what you think this is about!” Mila interrupted. She scoffed at his assumption. Of course the man who was sex on legs thought she had towed him in here because she wanted him.

FP frowned, “Well, what is this about?” He crossed his arms, his body immediately going into defence. 

“How can you let a kid like Jason work for you!” FP’s eyes widened.

“What?”

“He is at my house, with a broken nose and a black eye!”

Shit, FP thought, tonight must have gone badly. 

“So why are you here yelling at me?” He didn't know how much Mila knew, so he didn’t say anything yet. 

“I know he’s part of the Serpents! Don’t try to lie. You talked to him when he was at the bar, he came here for you didn’t he!”

FP didn’t know how she had pieced this together, but if that was her only evidence he figured denial was the best tactic.

“Some high school kid gets beat up and you think I have something to do with it?”

“Don’t you?” Mila yelled back. 

“I don’t know what kind of gang you think I run here, but this isn’t a game. Who knows who hurt him, it could have been anyone. Maybe a bunch of teenagers.”

Mila faltered for a second. That’s what Polly had said, that it was boys from a rival high school. She stared at FP’s face, trying to suss out if he was telling the truth. He began to get uncomfortable under her gaze, but stared back anyway. He was smart enough to know that only liars don’t meet a person’s eye. 

“I was so sure,” Mila said under her breath. FP caught her words, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to lie to her, but it was not his secret to tell. Jason had come to him for the work, not the other way around. He’d only gave him some because Jason was so desperate. Another part of him didn’t want to tell her because she looked so disappointed in him. Even if that would probably work out in his favour, he couldn’t help but want her to think the best of him.

Mila studied his eyes, “Do you swear he’s not working for you?”

FP looked back. He took in her worried expression, and the dried blood on her shirt. He wondered how bad Jason had been hurt… he definitely was going to rethink this whole set-up the both had. 

Before he could reassure her, there was a bang on the door. 

“Hey Sweetie, is it my turn yet?” leered a drunk man.

FP watched as Mila sighed and turned around to swing open the door.

“Do you mind? I’m trying to have a conversation.”

FP almost let out a laugh at her boldness, but immediately stilled when the man reached forward and put a hand on her arm. He barely reacted before Mila pushed the man back, and watched as she stumbled out into the bar with him as he hadn’t loosened his grip. 

Mila gave him a swift punch to the face, causing him to let out a cry. Another man, friends with her attacker, grabbed her and knocked her to the ground. FP acted immediately, pulling him by his shirt and landing his own punch to the guy’s face. The one Mila punched pushed FP off of his friend and only managed to hit him twice while his friend held him, before FP managed to break out of his grip and fight back. Mila was up and she kneed her attacker in the balls as FP smacked around the other. The barman came out to help and dragged the man FP was beating away from him to shove him outside. FP turned his attention to the other, and Mila jumped out of his way just as he began hitting him repeatedly in the face. FP was seeing red, he didn’t know it is was from the fight or because the man had grabbed Mila, but he kept landing blows to his face. Eventually both the barman and Mila pulled him off the guy, and Mila held up a hand to keep him back as the barman threw the man out.

Mila tried to calm her breathing as she looked at FP and saw that his nose had started bleeding. Great, that was two bloody faces she had to deal with this evening. The fight had caused her to forget all about their previous conversation as she asked the barman if he had a room they could clean up in. He told her there was a room upstairs and she gently grabbed FP’s as she led him there.

FP didn’t say anything and let himself be escorted upstairs. He didn’t dare say it, but her touch on his hand had a calming effect, and he was just thankful she hadn’t grabbed his punching hand because it was throbbing like crazy. Though she probably knew that already, she was smart that way.

FP was angered from the fight, but as he was led up a level by Mila, he was grateful for the extra time it bought him to get his story straight about Jason. 

Both of them were in a little bit of shock to say anything as they entered the office of the Whyte Wyrm. Mila told FP to sit down as she began to look for medical supplies for the second time that night. FP watched her quietly, then checked his hand to see it was already bruising from the impact. 

Mila had come here to yell at him and now the pair of them had backed each other in a fight. She sighed as she turned and looked at him, before walking towards him to begin mending his wounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who doesn't love the cliche heroine bandaging the hero's wounds? that's going to be a fun chapter!


	15. The Clean Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aannnnnnndddddd she's back. just when you think you're free she pulls you back in. 
> 
> don't be mad y'all, rome wasn't built in a day... or apparently the two months it took for me to update

While FP sat in a chair, Mila sat on the desk to get a better angle on his face. She’d found a cloth, which she figured she could use to wipe the blood away so she could try and see if his nose was broken.

“Do you mind if I…?” she trailed off. He nodded as she held out the cloth and slowly moved her hand to his face. She began wiping gently underneath his nose, and around his cheeks where blood had splattered.

He hadn’t noticed he’d been watching her until she spoke, “Does this hurt?”

“No,” he said in a low voice. 

She continued her cleaning, “What a night this has turned out to be.” She said it more to herself than to FP, but he remembered why she had come.

“Is Jason ok?” he asked, hoping she wouldn’t think too much of the question.

She sighed. “Yeah he’s fine really. I guess those high school guys really did a number on him,” she said pointedly, her way of telling him that she believed him. She was feeling pretty generous, he had just defended her in a fight. Plus he looked rather sorry with a bloody nose.

She giggled, and he looked a her surprised, “What is it?”

“Nothing, it’s just, I’ve never seen you look so…” She took another look and started laughing again. 

He couldn’t help it, he smiled as he watched her, glad that the yelling part was over and he had another excuse to enjoy her company. She seemed to have finished cleaning his face, and his nose had stopped bleeding. 

“What about you, you’ve got a cut,” FP gestured to his own forehead to show her where the cut was.

“Oh,” she gently hovered her fingers over the cut before pulling out an alcohol swab she had found earlier. 

“Here, let me.” He took it from her and gently rubbed it over the cut. She winced slightly.

“Sorry,” he said, and pressed lighter. 

She moved her gaze to his face as he cleaned her wound. “We’re quite a pair,” she joked.

He gave a small smile, “I guess we are.” Though the thought made him sad, because he knew they couldn’t be, not really.

He thought he should say something about that, “I won’t do it anymore.”

He saw her frown, “Do what?”

“I won’t try and-“ he paused, trying to find the right words, “What I did was… I shouldn’t have done it. I’ll leave you alone from now on.”

He finished cleaning her cut and lowered his arm as he searched her face. She didn’t understand what he was saying at first, but then it clicked and began contemplating what he was saying. For a moment he thought he saw a flash of disappointment. It was short, but it filled him with a hope that he shouldn’t have. All he wanted was to be free of her. Since she had come to town, she had more or less been all he thought about. It had never been like this for him before, and it was stupid really, considering they hadn’t known each other that long.

Mila didn’t know what to say. She thought back to Polly’s words, Polly had tried to tell her that she liked FP. Maybe she did, she wasn’t sure, but she definitely shouldn’t. And here he was giving her an out. He was being so good, he was really trying, and the more determined he was to leave her alone, the more she wanted him. She was being childish, she tried to tell herself, she wanted what she could not have, and maybe that was the only reason she did want him. Were these feelings even real? Did she just want to get back at her Dad for sending her to this boring town? She didn’t think so. He hadn’t judged her past, he made her laugh, and tonight he’d fended off drunk men for her. She found herself not caring that he was a criminal, not caring that he was much too old for her. 

But she’d been through all this before. She’d done the ‘date the bad boy’ thing, except this time it was the ‘bad mine’. She couldn't put her father, or Sheila through this again. She needed to stop making bad decisions, and this definitely was a bad decision.

“Ok.”

Even if it was his suggestion, he looked disappointed. Mila couldn’t take another person being disappointed in her.

“I hope that- and I know people say this but- maybe, we can be friends. I’m probably not going anywhere, since we both like Joaquin, and… I like you. You’re funny, and not completely horrible to talk to.”

Even if he was disappointed, her words partially amused him. “You’re giving the ‘let’s be friends speech’ to the forty year-old man who’s been pursuing you?”

She smiled. “Well, when you put it like that…”

“Friends isn’t really something I do,” FP admitted.

“Well then.” She threw the bloody cloth into the bin. “I’ll be your first.”

The way she said it was teasing, and it made FP rethink the whole ‘friends’ thing. He’d get to spend time with her, with Joaquin around of course, but they would have boundaries now. There would be no more confusion. No more hope. Which meant he could get over it. If he knew nothing was ever going to happen, then maybe he could finally get her out of his head. 

She mistook his silence for doubt. “I mean, don’t do it if you think you’re going to fall in love with me,” she joked, putting her hands up.

He couldn’t help it, he smirked. “I think I can handle myself.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m very charismatic.”

He met her eye-line. “So am I.”

“Then I guess we have our work cut out for us.”

She just continually surprised him. He’d thought this conversation would go a whole other route. Never did he imagine he would feel… excited, about whatever kind of rejection this was supposed to be. He didn’t have to lose her company, not completely, and it was kind of a relief. 

 

Instead of doubting himself any longer, he answered her. “I guess we do.”


	16. Bit of a note

Ok so.. 

I hope to continue posting, I really do. The reason there has been a bit of a slump ( a 'bit' she says, like she hasn't been away for a bajillion months HA) is because the last chapter, for me, I felt was so rushed. I feel like there was just so much more to do before they kinda sorta got together. Because of this, I sort of fell out of love with writing this, because I felt i had just completely messed up, and I didn't know how to move forward BUT then I remembered that I was the one writing this, so I could change it if I wanted to (who knew ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯)

I started to lose confidence with it, and had a Lot of doubt about what the hell I thought i was doing. But why not give it another go?

Anyway I want to say... Thank you so much for ALL the comments. I read every single one, and it's lovely to see so many people still want more. This is by far my most popular story. I want you all to know I am by no means, a professional writer, like at all. I just love that my hobby has become something deeply loved my many. That being said, all the comments also give me the kick up the butt I need to get on with it. So thank you. Very much.

I HAVE CHANGED THE ENDING OF THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER. Its a bit short, but I wanted to get on with this darn thing. So if you want to give that a quick read (and try not to be too disappointed) that would be great. 

I'll be seeing you,

Molly x

(But omg i have been keeping up with RIverdale, and guess who now has so many serpents to add in, hell yeah)


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